Iron Bonds
by AJrax The Author
Summary: A twist of fate sees Kushina being saved by Kakashi when Obito tried to take the Nine-Tails from her body. With that, the fate of Naruto Uzumaki and those around him began to change... some may say for the better, because with this, and with time, Naruto
1. One Simple Motion

NARUTO:

IRON BONDS

Disclaimer: The following is a non-profit, fan-based fanfiction. Naruto and Naruto: Shippuden are owned by Viz Media, Shouen Jump, TV Tokyo, and Mashashi Kishimoto. Please support the official release.

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Prologue Saga | I: One Simple Motion

* * *

Nightfall has come to The Village Hidden In The Leaves, and so has an unlikely visitor.

It had been years since he had set foot in this village. He used to call it home, but that was a long time ago. He was a different person now, with different ideals and a different goal. But, he had no time to be reminiscing about his former home, nor could he compare himself to who he was now and the person he was before he left. He had a mission and he needed to carry it out: he was to find Minato Namikaze, The Fourth Hokage, and his wife, Kushina Uzumaki, so they could lead him to a key object that he needed for his plan to unfold: The Nine-Tailed Demon Fox. With the power of the demon in his fingertips, the sinister man would see a twisted dream become a twisted reality.

As he sat on his perch, his black cloak pulled over his head, and his dull orange mask firmly covering his face, he gazed out on The Hidden Leaf and all it had to offer him. One particular site that caught his eye was at the village's cemetery, where a man he used to call "friend" stood near a grave-site. This man, like him, was wearing a mask, and he also had spiky white hair. He was apparently talking to the grave he was standing in front of. The onlooker also assumed that the flowers on the grave were put there by that white-haired man. The mysterious man proved himself to be a shinobi, as he transported himself with a strange motion to a few feet behind the white haired man; it was not a Body Flicker, but something entirely different. Nevertheless, the man in the cloak stood ominously in the shadows, as listened in on the man near the grave.

"So... tonight, Minato-Sensei and Kushina have their first child... I hope they're safe," he murmured to himself.

The visitor lit up internally at this statement. The wheels inside his head began to turn; the white-haired man's statement would prove to be a useful bit of information; he already knew what location they would be at, considering that this certainly would not be a normal birth. He then turned to leave so he could track down Minato and Kushina...but as he was about to leave...he felt that he should stay a while longer. It was strange, but, he felt he needed to speak with his former friend. He questioned his own action to do it, thinking about whether or not it would be costly to his plan. However, he reconsidered. After all, one simple motion certainly wouldn't change the fruition of his plan and the steps needed to undergo it. Right?

The white haired man quickly turned around at the slight sound of feet shuffling behind him. The two men met masked expressions, one with memories of the other filling his head, and one having no clue who his unexpected guest was.

"Who are you?," asked the man with white hair, steeling himself for trouble.

"I am no one you should be concerned with," assured the man in the cloak with a deep and eerie tone, "I am simply here to visit my home."

"Your home? You're a Leaf-nin? I don't recognize you."

"Well, I must say, it was not too hard to recognize _you_, Kakashi. You haven't changed a bit," the cloaked man said dryly. He certainly was altered in his looks since the last time that Kakashi had seen him, his cloak and mask hiding his identity, and even his tone had him thrown off.

"Huh? How do you know my name?" Kakashi retorted more aggressively.

"Oh, it's not important."

"It definitely _seems_ important. Just what are you doing in this village? I want answers. _Now_."

The masked man couldn't help but conceal an amused chuckle as he saw Kakashi get so riled up at him. He was getting him riled up the way he always used to back when they

were teammates.

"Well? Are you going to talk or do I have to make you talk?"

The mask man felt the tension creep over to him. His monotonic and darkly confident disposition did not change, but he did feel that maybe he should have just left for Minato and Kushina. Still, it was somewhat nice to see his old teammate again. But now, he had to follow through with plans, as he felt he should.

"Settle down. I'm afraid I have to cut this reunion short," said the masked man, turning himself from Kakashi's one visible eye.

"What are you talking about?"

"Well, I have somewhere I need to be."

"And where exactly is that?"

The masked man glared in front of himself. "Where the Nine Tails is."

"What?! The Nine Tails?!"

Another soft chuckle escaped from a masked mouth.

"What do you want with the Nine Tailed Demon Fox?"

"My, my, since when do you ask so many questions?", replied the cloaked one in boredom, raising the ire of the white-haired man. "Don't bother involving yourself, Kakashi. Nothing is going to keep my plan from carrying out. It's the fate of this...reality," he put some distaste in the last word he spoke.

"How would you even know where it is?"

"Simple. I find the Demon when I find the Hokage and his wife. Thank you, by the way, for telling me of their great news. Goodbye now."

Without another word from the now stunned Kakashi, the masked man teleported away. Kakashi then snapped out of it and began frantically running towards the place where he knew Minato and Kushina were at that time, a place outside the village. As he did, he thought to himself: _That guy's bad news, no doubt about it! Sensei, Kushina, hold on!_

* * *

The holding was made sure to be heavily safe-guarded. The barrier held strong, and the ANBU circled around the entire proximity of the compound stood firm and ready to act. Inside, tensions were at their highest, as three figures, a man and two women, crowded around a bed like platform in the middle of the room, where a woman in labor lay.

Minato Namikaze, the Fourth Hokage and leader of The Village Hidden In The Leaves, was at his wit's end. He had been keeping his wife still as well as keeping her "preparations" intact, firmly using his skill in fuinjutsu to do his part to his best power, holding his hands over Kushina's stomach as he suppressed an inky black seal with a huge black circle in the middle. Minato was normally a calm man who had much patience for most things, but he couldn't help but feel the pressure of keeping his wife's labor under control be too much to handle. Meanwhile, Biwako, the wife of the Third Hokage, and her assistant, Taji, filled the roles of midwives, keeping Kushina at ease in their own abilities. They were much calmer than Minato at the moment. Kushina wailed out her struggle as she continued to push out her newborn, while Minato's wits were about to give in on him.

"Please, my child... your mother is in great pain. Come out! Come out and begin your life with us!" the normally calm and kind Hokage yelled.

"Minato, pull yourself together!" scolded Biwako the elder. "If you're the Hokage you claim to be, then sit still and do your job. Remember: women are strong, and your wife is one of the strongest of them all. Don't give in, you man!"

Her feminism may have dug in the message a little too deep, but Biwako still managed to calm Minato down. With a nod and a determined look, the sweat formed on his forehead dissolved and cooled to a slower pace; he began to take his time now, and soon he felt more at ease with his role, the seal staying in its default form because of it.

Kushina continued to wail and push, now worrying Taji and Minato, and maybe even Biwako to a certain extent, though her firm and stone like expression would not reveal it. And then finally, and thankfully, the trio of helpers heard the sounds of Kushina's cries silence, as a new form of cry filled the room. It was the cry of a baby.

"Oh, it's a boy; he's absolutely beautiful," cooed Biwako, her firmness softened by the infant wrapped in her arms. His cries may have been loud, but to the midwives and his new parents, they were like a chorus of hymns. Minato, beaming out loud, quickly moved toward Biwako, attempting to hold his newborn son, only to be shrugged off by Biwako.

"Ah-ah. The wife is the first to hold the child. Wait your turn." Her feminist views were now discouraging Minato more than before, as he comically twitched an eyebrow at the insult.

The Third Hokage's wife walked to Kushina's side. The red-haired last of the Uzumaki Clan was being comforted by Taji, who almost lost her breath at the site of the new baby. Kushina beamed and sat breathless as well, and even felt tears roll down her face. She was crying from pain before, but now she was crying from joy. Biwako set the baby in Kushina's arms as Taji helped her sit up.

"My little boy... I love you so much," said Kushina, snuggling the baby closer to her. Her newborns cries softened, and then stopped, as the warmth of his mother had comforted him so, and made him fall asleep. "Minato, come here. Come look at our child."

Minato came to his wife's side in a heartbeat. He was more composed than his wife, not shedding a tear, but still full of happiness. Kushina gingerly handed the baby to Minato. As he stared into a face that greatly resembled his, he felt that barrier he kept in his eyes breaking. He broke down out of pure joy. "Today, today I am a father!"

Taji helped Kushina stand up all the way, and she attempted to join Minato by his side, the weight of her post-labor body being a bit difficult to maneuver. Nevertheless, the joy she was feeling alone would be enough to move her forward. But before she could...

"GAH!"

"AHH!"

Minato and Kushina stood in shock as they witnessed both Biwako and Taji fall dead before their eyes. Before either could speak, Minato felt a force brush by him, as his new son disappeared from his hands. Kushina almost fell over at the pure rush of it all, but Minato was fast enough to catch her before she met a hard impact on the stone floor.

"What a cute little son you have, Lord Hokage."

Minato and Kushina's spines chilled at the tone they heard. They saw a man hid by a mask and cloak holding their child; the boy was still fast asleep, cradled by the masked man in one arm, and the opposite hand being held over his head menacingly.

"Now... I want you both to listen carefully. I want something from you two, and if you don't comply," he flexed his hand over the baby, "this child will suffer."

Kushina gasped. _No! Not my baby! _She felt like she was staring down a shinigami in the flesh.

"What is it you want?" asked Minato, calmly yet angrily.

"I want the Nine Tails."

Minato and Kushina gasped. "The Nine Tails?!"

"That's right. And, unless I attain the power of the Fox, I'm afraid your son's first day on Earth will be his last. Now, step away from your wife, Hokage."

Kushina's eyes burned anger, while Minato began sweating again. What could he possibly do in this exact moment? Then, he thought: _I _will _step away._

In a flash, Minato appeared in front of the masked man and decked him in his face. The force sent him back and allowed Minato to catch his falling son in his arms. The masked man quickly caught his footing, and simply gazed at the Fourth Hokage, emotionless. Then, a sizzling could be heard by Minato and his son; the masked man had put an explosive tag on the child's blanket! Kushina cried in horror as she felt the end of her dear husband and child coming to, but just as quickly as Minato appeared in front of the masked man, he vanished, taking his son with him in the teleport.

Outside the compound, Minato appeared in the air a few feet below the soft grass. He tore the tag from his son's blanket and shielded him as he landed on two feet, letting the explosion take to the air rather than swallow them up.

Back inside, the masked man closes in on Kushina, who is too weak to defend herself against the attacker. Kneeling on the ground, she stares in horror as he walks closer and closer. His hand became poised to wrap around her throat. She closed her eyes, wishing for her husband to save her. However, a savior did come, but it was not Minato.

The masked man stopped walking and retracted his hand. He felt something hard plunge into the center of his back. Something small and metal. Kushina gasped in relief as she saw a white-haired man keeping the attack at bay.

"I'm afraid that your plan is a failure," growled Kakashi, literally stabbing the masked man in the back. " Lady Kushina, are you alright?"

"Yes, Kakashi. Thank you."

The masked man chuckled darkly. Kakashi widened his eye as his target disappeared from sight. He froze even more as he felt the man's presence reappear behind him. Turning around, Kakashi was quick enough to block a punch and then dodge a hook from the masked man, who brought his own kunai out after his missed strikes to meet Kakashi's. The two ninja clashed metal as they held each other in standstill.

"I've always wanted to fight you like this, Kakashi," commented the Mask.

"Well, sorry I don't feel the same, but I don't know who you are," retorted Kakashi, pushing the Mask back and looking to clip him with a left roundhouse, which the Mask caught. Kakashi used all his power to push the Mask far enough so he could pursue him with a full on assault; punches and kicks were blocked and dodged as Kakashi found himself not able to keep up with this Mask's abilities, though Kakashi could tell he was not showing his full power. The exchange ended with the Mask ducking under a kick and then leaping away from a punch by Kakashi. Feeling frustrated, Kakashi decided to use a technique that he could only used in desperate situations. The Mask merely stood as he watched his teammate perform a series of hand-signs and then gather a form of crackling, electric chakra in his right hand.

Kakashi dashed forward. "Raikiri!"

Thrusting the attack forward, the Mask simply sidestepped his arm, and while Kakashi was still in his proximity as he dodged, black chains appeared out of his sleeves and wrapped around the arm of Kakashi, demobilizing the ninja and canceling out his "Raikiri".

Kakashi was moved to his knees as the chains around his arm tightened; it felt like his arm would go numb at the pressure it was dealing in on him. Kakashi closed his eye in pain for a moment, but when he looked back at the Mask, with his one onyx eye, he noticed something funny about the Mask: like Kakashi, he showed one eye through a hole in his mask, one eye that looked both tainted with hate as well as...familiar. Blood red, and marked with tiny black markings...Kakashi was certainly familiar with this eye.

But before he could think about it more, Kakashi felt his body go sailing, as the Mask flung him over Kushina's head and against one of the stone walls that outlined the place of solitude, ironically not being that kind of place anymore. The masked Leaf-nin land on his stomach with a thud.

"Kakashi!" Kushina cried out, whirling her head to see Kakashi rising on his hands and knees and trying to recover from impact, but unfortunately, falling back down to the ground after mere seconds.

"It's not him you need to be worried about," said a cutting voice in front of Kushina. She whirled her head back around to see the Mask, once again standing nearly inches from her. She tried to at least stand up to face this man, but her own strength was being siphoned as she felt her post-labor strains kick in, and settled back on the ground.

With a gentle yet sinister approach, the Mask reached a hand out to Kushina, gripping her chin like a child and holding her face so she could focus on his red blood gaze, scowling all the way, both of them.

"Now, Miss Uzumaki... shall we begin?"

"Begin what? You really believe you can take the Nine-"

She was cut off by the Mask tightening his hold on her plump face, sending the message through his fingers: "One more word and you die." As she stared back up at the Mask, Kushina could feel her heart stop beating as for maybe the first time in a long time, she felt all hope was lost. No, not all hope; Minato was still around. She could feel it. But as the seconds rolled on, she could feel his absence grow even more fatal. At least he had the baby safe with him.

"Whatever power is keeping me from that beast, I assure you that I will-"

"Will what?" a voice that was not Kushina said.

Kushina gasped. "Oh thank goodness!"

A slight flinch took the masked man as he felt a kunai, this time with the point resting in the front of his neck. Minato had returned. The Mask released his hold on Kushina, but stood still in his place. Kushina felt the urge to just deck him in the face while she could, bristling as she once again tried to stand up; this time, she managed to actually do so, using both hands on the table behind her to stay upright. However, that strength could only last so long. However, before another drop to the floor commenced, she felt a soft surface holding her up, and then before she could react, teleport her away from the Mask and Minato.

A second later, and Kushina found that the person behind her was the man himself: Minato. She gasped, thinking she saw a ghost. However, his smile was more than assuring that he was indeed with her again; she could also tell that she was with the real deal and that the Mask was being held up by a clone.

"Minato!" She cried, burying her face in his shoulder.

"Relax, Kushina; you're safe. You both are," he said.

Kushina then realized that she had a small weight cradled in her arms, a weight she felt as soon as she landed on Minato's body. She cried tears of joy when she found that her son was once again safe in her arms. Minato held Kushina tight as she let relief wash over her, as he sent messages over to his clone to speak to the Mask:

"It's over. You've lost," started Minato.

"I'm afraid you're wrong, Fourth Hokage," sneered the Mask.

"Enough. Tell us: why do you wish to control the Nine Tails?"

The assaliant grinned under his mask. "This reality is coming to a close. Nothing you can say or do can change that."

Minato gripped his kunai harder. "Stop speaking in riddles."

"They're not riddles, Hokage; they are the truth," The Mask motioned to use the same trick he used on Kakashi to escape from this comprising position. But, ironically:

"You're right; they're not riddles. They're _nonsense_."

Another slight flinch and another kunai pressed up against his neck, this time from the left. This second threat:

"Kakashi?" said Minato in suprise.

"Hello, Sensei. Sorry for the screw-up; I didn't exactly have this under control when I came around," admitted Kakashi.

Minato nodded to his student, ignoring his misktake and instead just being proud of his guts to come back into the fight. Now, both men were holding the Mask at a standstill; he had no other options now than to just give up.

"Are you finally going to comply?" growled Kakashi.

The Mask was silent. Then: "Not exactly... instead, I will leave. Be grateful that I feel that your time to be done away with will come later in the future," said the Mask. "But be forewarned, Hokage, Kakashi, Kushina...when I return, and all the pieces fall into place," he pointed a figure at the baby in Kushina's arms, "_he_ will suffer the most."

He vanished. Kakashi sheathed his kunai, and the Minato clone poofed away.

"What did he mean by his words?" asked a shaky Kushina, feeling grave after witnessing the whole fiasco sort out.

"I'm afraid I have no clue. But whatever it is, It can't be good," replied Minato.

"Are you afraid?"

The Fourth Hokage sighed. "Yes, but for now, we should be glad that we're safe. Don't worry," he looked into Kushina's eyes as she turned to face him, "I'll make sure that whatever he's planning, he won't get away with it. He's not going to harm our son; I promise."

Kushina drew breath and graciously kissed her husband on his lips, resting her forehead on his after retracting. "Thank you. You're a wonderful man, and I know you'll be a wonderful father."

"And I know you'll be a wonderful mother, too."

The two parents smiled at each other, and then took their warm glances to their child. The sleeping infant was stroked by his mother's soft hand, as his father pulled his mother close.

And while a family enjoyed a tender moment, Kakashi was examining the two cold bodies lying on the floor. He bent down and checked both of their pulses, then felt a slight upward twitch in his one visible eye as he discovered the blood dripping out of the the backs of both of their necks.

"They're dead, Kakashi," said Minato grimly, turning his attention away his family to his fellow ninja.

"I see. Well, that's unfortunate. I'll have the ANBU collect these bodies. After all, there should be some close by, considering-"

"I'm afraid not, Kakashi."

"What?" Kakashi turned to face his now frowning superior.

"That masked man not only killed Biwako and Taji, but all the ANBU we had guarding this place. I saw it with my own two eyes while I was outside the cave for a moment."

Kakashi's eye went to the ground. "That man is a psychopath. I could tell by the minute I saw him."

"So it seems. But, come on; we have to relay what has happened to the Third Hokage," Minato stood up with Kushina so the two could leave the cave.

"Uh, excuse me, but..."

Minato and Kushina whirled their heads to see a somewhat embarrassed Kakashi scratching his head. "This is kind of an awkward thing to say but... can I see him?"

Minato chuckled at his serious student. "I suppose you can."

"Thank you, Sensei."

Kakashi strode to the new parents and laid his one eye on the sleeping baby in their arms, "He looks a lot like you, Sensei."

"Yes, he does," agreed Minato, looking over the small tuft of blonde hair that his son had on his little head. "But I bet he'll be a handful, like his mother."

Kushina frowned at the jab. "Well, I'd rather him be a handful than a softy like his father!" she retorted, her short fuse ignited.

Minato's brow started sweating again. After so many years with his wife, it was probably safe not to make her angry, considering how mad she used to get when they were kids, and also considering that her snaps now were an understatement to the ones he'd witnessed and/or dealt with back then. Seeing her red hair swirl in circles as she scowled, he nervously tried to rebound from his mistake:

"Oh, Kushina, uh, I just meant that he'd be just as rambunctious as you. You're a real fireball... in-in a good way."

Kushina's rage contracted. "Oh..." She smiled at the compliment.

Minato exhaled, thinking he got out of the doghouse.

WHACK!

Needless to say, he was still in there. Kushina, with one hand, slapped the back of his head.

"Ow! What was that for?" whined the leader of the Leaf.

"I know when you're lying," sung Kushina, satisfied with herself.

Minato rubbed the back of his head. "Geez... with your strength, our son ought be the toughest kid in this village." Now, _that _was a compliment.

"Oh, I know he'll be," agreed Kushina. "And he'll be the sweetest, too." She looked at the baby in her arms again, kissing him on the forehead.

"Uh, sensei? Lady Kushina?"

The parents' eyes trailed to the now more awkward feeling masked shinobi standing in front of them. They had totally forgotten him after engaging in their spat/family moment.

"Yes, Kakashi? We're ready to leave now," answered Kakashi's sensei.

"Well, I just wanted to know one more thing."

"And what's that, Kakashi?" asked Kushina.

"I was wondering: what's his name?"

Minato and Kushina once again got close and brought their son to Kakashi's view. "His name is special; we decided on it while Kushina was still pregnant. I picked it out after my sensei, Master Jiraiya, told me the name of the main character in his first book," said Minato.

"It's a beautiful name, Kakashi," assured Kushina. "Naruto."

"Naruto, huh?" Kakashi let the name sink in as he looked at the sleeping boy. "That's a nice name. And I know someday, he's going to be a great shinobi."

"Is that so? Because I had the idea that you would help him in his studies. After all, there's no one else in my village that I'd put the trust in helping teach my son than my best student," Minato mused.

"Thank you, Sensei. I'd be honored."

With a final bow to Minato from Kakashi, the two ninja and Kushina exited the cave. In his mind, Minato tensed himself for the briefing he knew he had to give his elder, the Third Hokage. The news of dead ANBU, a medical-nin, his own wife, and the attempted kidnapping of his son and threat to both him and Kushina would definitely be a serious matter, one that he hoped would be able to be handled. For his family's sake.

* * *

"Oh, my... this is not good at all," said Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Third Hokage, sitting at his desk with hands folded in front of him.

That same night, Minato and Kushina, after being escorted to the Hokage's Office by Kakashi, told Hiruzen everything. The wise elder was a composed man, and as a Hokage must, he had great sturdiness in his emotions, and took in everything with great acceptance. However, the news of his dead wife still made the wise one bristle inside.

"Is this all that happened?"

"Yes, Lord Hokage. I'd also like to add that it was because of Kakashi Hatake that me and Kushina escaped."

"It's true. He came to us at the last minute and helped my husband fend off the Mask," supported Kushina.

" I see," Hiruzen said, taking another smoke from his pipe. "Well, this certainly is a matter that deserves my full attention. I'm deeming this 'masked man' a threat to this village."

"As do I," agreed Minato. "I suggest that I alert the ANBU and give them a description of this man, so they can keep an eye out for him and try to locate his whereabouts. I would also like to inform my sensei, Master Jiraiya of the Sanin, so that the Mask can be a focus in his extensive spy network."

"Ah, yes. I agree with your suggestion, Minato."

"Thank you, Lord Hokage," Minato said, as he bowed to Hiruzen.

The wise man chuckled. "You know, Minato, it's hard for me to tell myself this, but I'm getting old; I'm not going to approve your decisions for you forever."

"I understand that, sir. I have no doubt in myself that I am capable of handling the Hidden Leaf Village," Minato smiled. "But, I still appreciate that I have someone like you to spread his wisdom, Lord Hokage. You've been playing a part in watching over this village since before I was born, and I feel honored that even with me being the current Hokage, you can still be around to do just that."

Hiruzen shifted his pipe and grinned. _This man's heart is definitely big. He'll be a great father. _"Oh, Minato, Kushina, excuse me; I haven't congratulated you for your new son."

Kushina and Minato beamed. "Thank you, Lord Hokage. Would you like to see him?" Kushina asked.

"Why, yes, I would." The elder Hokage rose form his desk and walked over to the couple. Kushina allowed Hiruzen's tired eyes to examine Naruto's tiny features, including his blonde hair, and the tiny whisker marks that appeared on his face, something that hadn't really been acknowledged by the few who got to see Naruto, nor his parents, until now.

"Hmm..those marks. I can assume why those are there."

Both Minato and Kushina nodded. No words needed to be said for now, considering how neither parent nor the Third Hokage decided to remind themselves of the Mask or his intentions...instead, the subject was changed by Minato:

"Lord Hokage, I would like to request something."

"What is it, Minato?"

"Well, I think it would be best if my son takes Kushina's last name and not mine. You see, I want my son to be safe from my enemies, so giving him his mother's last name with make him anonymous to them."

"That's very smart of you. I understand your concern."

"As do I," added Kushina, smiling adoringly at Minato.

"His name is Naruto," Minato said. "We named him after a character from Jiraiya-Sensei's first novel."

"Oh?" Hiruzen raised an eyebrow. "That's a bit strange considering the... content... of Jiraiya's novels."

Minato and Kushina sweat-dropped. "Oh, it's not oneof _those_ books, Lord Hokage," Kushina assured, feeling embarrassed that although her husband's sensei wrote a nice novel, he took to writing in an entirely different genre after that one book. A dirty genre.

"It was actually a very good read," Minato said, trying to clear the air. "It was about a shinobi hero who vowed to break the 'curse' of war, hatred, and conflict in the shinobi world."

"Ah. Sounds like this Naruto was a very important fellow. Tell me: do you think your son can be a great shinobi like this character?"

Minato looked at Naruto. "I hope so." Minato smiled, taking Kushina's hand as she smiled at him.

To himself, Hiruzen grinned. _If he's anything like his father, then he might as well be the Fifth __Hokage_, thought Hiruzen jokingly. _Although... I wonder.._. his eyes took a quick glance at Kushina's stomach.

* * *

A few days later, on a peaceful day in the village, the Fourth Hokage's family decided to visit some friends. Kushina wanted to show her new baby to her best friend, Mikoto Uchiha. The day Naruto was born, both Kushina and Mikoto made a promise that both their sons would grow up together and be best friends like them. Kushina eagerly decided to get a head start on that plan and have Naruto see Sasuke, Mikoto's child.

Kushina held Naruto tightly in her arms as she and Minato walked through the village, as she had been doing ever since she got him back from the Mask. She vowed to herself after that affair that she would never let Naruto in harm's way like that again, as did Minato. They truly were a loving couple.

The two arrived at the door of the Uchihas' residence. Minato rapped on the door, and a few seconds later, a woman with long, black hair answered.

"Why, hello, Lord Hokage, Kushina," Mikoto chimed.

"Hello, Mikoto," replied Minato.

"Hi, Mikoto," greeted Kushina, allowing Mikoto's eyes to drift down to see her baby.

"Ooh! This must be your baby boy. I heard through the grapevine that it was a boy. He's so handsome, like his father."

"That's right," beamed Kushina, and getting a smile from Minato for the comment, as well.

"Oh, hold on, I'll fetch Fugaku. He just has to see him. Oh, and come in, if you like."

The Uchiha woman quickly scurried to another part of her house to find Fugaku Uchiha, her husband. Minato and Kushina let themselves in, walking into the Uchiha compound to see Mikoto talking with Fugaku in their kitchen.

Fugaku, a stern man and the head of The Hidden Leaf's Ninja Police Force, bowed his head to Minato and company upon their entrance. "Lord Hokage."

"Fugaku. Very nice to see you."

"As well as you, Lord Hokage," Fugaku said, not even cracking a smile.

"Fugaku, you have to see their child, he's so adorable," said Mikoto.

The chief policemen eyed the baby, and even the sight of new life was able to make a man like Fugaku curve the corners of his mouth into a small smile. "A fine boy you have, my Lord. He's a spitting image of you."

"Ah, but he has _my_ personality," bragged Kushina. "He's gonna be just like me when I was a kid."

"Oh, how nice," eye-smiled Mikoto. On the outside, she was glad, but on the inside: _Oh boy. I don't know if we need another 'habenero' in our village._

"Well, I think he'll be like both of us," Minato said.

"Maybe so, my Lord."_ Whew. I hope so._ Mikoto mentally wiped her forehead in relief.

"One thing's for sure: if he's your son, he'll be a strong shinobi," said Fugaku. "In fact, he'll make a good little challenge for _my_ son."

"Oh, yes, Fugaku, your son, Sasuke," confirmed Minato. "Where is he?"

"Oh, yeah, we'd really like to see him," agreed Kushina, hiding girlish glee.

"Sure," said the once again stoic Fugaku.

"I believe that Itachi has him. I wonder where-"

"I'm right here, Mother."

Just then, a young boy with black hair walked in the room from another room in the house. He looked to be about six years old. He was cradling a baby who had black hair, too, and like Naruto, was snoozing.

"Itachi, good timing," chimed Mikoto. "Lord Hokage and Mrs. Uzumaki are here to see Sasuke. Plus, they have their new child with them."

"Oh, really?" said Itachi, politely and curiously as he strode across the room. "I'd like to see."

"Well, come here, let me have Sasuke, and you can see Naruto," Mikoto said, reaching out her hands to hold her infant.

Itachi handed his baby brother over to his mother, and then, with a bow to Minato and Kushina, who smiled, took a look at Naruto.

"He'll be a good playmate for Sasuke, won't he?" said Itachi, his voice going to his mother and the parents, but his eyes staying on the blonde infant. "I'll bet they'll have lots of fun together," Itachi looked up to the Hokage and wife, "and I'd like to help Naruto with what ever he needs, just like I will for Sasuke."

"Itachi, that's a very generous offer," said Minato, a little rattled by how a boy this young could be so proper.

"He's a very well disciplined boy, my Lord," Fugaku suddenly said. "That's part of the reason that he's going to be the best shinobi in the Uchiha Clan. And with my other boy and your boy under his wing... well, it makes for a great trifecta, don't you think?" Itachi turned his head to his father, a look of both innocence yet somewhat uncomfortableness.

"You seem very concerned with the skills of your children," said Minato, noticing how Itachi looked as he turned his face back to his view.

"Well, aren't _you_, my Lord? I'm sure that you'd want your boy to be Hokage like you," retorted Fugaku.

"Indeed, I would be very proud of my son for that."

"A good upbringing will do just that, Lord Hokage. I'm sure that you'll have time to mold young Naruto into a fine ninja."

"I agree; I have already asked my former student, Kakashi Hatake, to help with Naruto's studies."

"Ah, Kakashi. A fine prodigy. I wouldn't mind if he taught my son, Sasuke, as well," the corners of Fugaku's mouth turned up a little more.

"Well, who knows, Fugaku? Maybe in the future, he'll be able to teach _both_ of them," said Minato, eye-smiling.

Fugaku actually gave a small, gruff chuckle. "Maybe so, my Lord. In fact," Fugaku walked closer to Itachi, and placed his hand on his head, making little Itachi look to his father, "Just think; we could have _two_ prodigies looking over them. A fine idea, no?"

Fugaku actually widened his mouth enough so it formed a genuine smile. His eyes moved from his leader to Itachi, who felt warm at the affection his father was showing, and responded with a smile of his own. Mikoto couldn't help but be warmed as well, as the moment between her husband and son seemed so right, yet with Fugaku, they were rare. At least now they were, ever since Fugaku began training Itachi.

Minato and Kushina could feel a radiance of the Uchihas and wished that they could feel the same way with Naruto once he got old enough. Then:

"Oh! He's waking up," said Kushina suddenly, seeing Naruto crinkle his eyes.

"Oh, so is Sasuke. Come on, let's let them see each other!" squeaked Mikoto.

Like a couple of schoolgirls, the two mothers giggled as they allowed each of their babies to be in sight of one of another as they got together. Fugaku could not help but sigh at the foolishness, and to a certain extent, Minato did as well, although his was more playful. Itachi simply smiled and watched as the "ritual" his mother and the Hokage's mother planned unfolded.

Naruto's eyes were the first to snap open. Kushina fawned over him as his blue eyes sparkled just like his father's. Then, Sasuke opened his eyes; his rosy cheeks became rosier as he adjusted to the light and yawned. His black onyx eyes looked big as he looked up at his smiling mother.

"Sasuke, this is Naruto," she said.

"Naruto, this is Sasuke," parroted Kushina.

Both Naruto and Sasuke took the signs that their mothers gave them to turn their heads and let their eyes wander to whatever they wanted them to see. Soon, each tot caught each others view. Naruto blinked his pair of eyes, while Sasuke blinked his right back. Both Kushina and Mikoto were waiting on bated breath for an interaction. It seemed as though the two would just stare at one another, until Naruto, showing his mother's friendliness, reached out a chubby hand to the baby opposite him. Sasuke, deciding to play copy cat, reached out his hand, too. The two hands met, with a sun-kissed palm meeting a pale one. Their skin touched for just a moment, before retracting. Then, their fingers became interlocked.

Kushina and Mikoto gasped. "So cute!" they both cooed.

Both boys continued to stare, their little minds so premature, it was taking them a while to actually process what was going on. Another blink at Sasuke from Naruto, and the same to Naruto from Sasuke.

Then, the two moved their lips so that they were both smiling, and then closed their eyes.

"I can tell that our plan is going to work out," said Mikoto, with Kushina nodding in agreement.

"Yep. Best friends forever."

Hearing that sentence brought a ring into the small ears of Naruto and Sasuke. Their small smiles widened.

* * *

**AN: And here's the first chapter of IB. I know, I know, the Naruto and Sasuke thing is really mushy, but hey, I couldn't resist milking it as hard as I could, for the sake of mush and friendship and stuff. lol **

**- Read And Review, ****Firaga96**


	2. To Be Strong

NARUTO:

IRON BONDS

Disclaimer: The following is a non-profit, fan-based fanfiction. Naruto and Naruto: Shippuden are owned by Viz Media, Shouen Jump, TV Tokyo, and Mashashi Kishimoto. Please support the official release.

* * *

Prologue Saga | II: To Be Strong

* * *

Kushina and Mikoto were right to think that Naruto and Sasuke would grow to become best friends.

The two were inseparable; there was no two boys in the village that spent more time with each other or had as much fun. They could have passed off for brothers if it were not for their difference in appearance, Naruto's blond, spiky hair and sun-kissed face paralleling Sasuke's abnormally spiked raven hair and pale skin. The two were very different in attitude as well; Naruto had grown to be like his mother: brash, bold, and very excited about everything he did. Although, at times, he would show signs of his father, being extremely kind and knowing, though he normally stuck with his mother's genes as the norm. Meanwhile, Sasuke was cool, calm, and very polite, like his big brother Itachi. Sure enough, the two boys had their spats and disagreements with one another. Nevertheless, the two managed to be a great pair, and everything for the Uchiha and Uzumaki-Namikaze families seemed to be perfect...

Minato and Kushina did a fine job of raising Naruto. He was always happy and smiling and grateful for everything he was given. He was also growing to be a fine shinobi, as his basic trainings showed that Naruto had great potential. Sasuke was coming well on his own, as well, the guidance of the Uchihas, he was sure enough to be a top ninja as well. The Leaf certainly felt safe with the son of the Fourth Hokage and an Uchiha genius as their next generation.

A total of five years have passed in the shinobi world since the Mask invaded the Hidden Leaf. Naruto's parents have made great precautions to keep him safe, but so far, no real information on the Mask had been collected. No identity or even a home village has been discovered of this entity. Still, the Hidden Leaf continues to enjoy their period of peace. Needless to say, they would be thrown into danger once more...

In the village, every civilian was going through their daily motions and living life in the warm sun cascading down upon them as the gentle wind blew. One man, a thirty-eight-year old, stood behind a counter and some bead strands that served as the entrance to his little ramen shop. Teuchi was growing somber as his squinted eyes searched the area in front of his shop, Icharaku Ramen, to see if a customer would pop in for a bowl. Business was usually slow, as ramen was not really a popular food in the village, but making ramen was his passion, and any business was good business.

"Hey, Daddy? Is there anyone here yet?" said a voice from behind him.

The ramen maker turned his head to see his ten-year-old daughter dash over to him, all dressed in her cooking uniform, and smiling.

"Oh, uh, not yet Ayame. Hopefully, things will pick up soon." he responded with a tired smile, moving his gaze back to the front.

Ayame nodded and stood next to her father, She was the only help that Teuchi had around his shop, with no other workers in sight. Still, she had a passion for ramen as well, and had no complaints in working with her old man. Teuchi was proud to have his own flesh and blood be as enthusiastic as he was.

Soon, Teuchi lowered his eyes to his blank counter-top. He was feeling that no one was going to show up today. Ayame had left his side a few minutes ago, as she grew tired of waiting and had gone to the back. The sun in the sky was setting, and the cascading glow that covered the village went from its normal color to a bright orange. He was about ready to close up shop, until:

"Hey! Old man!"

Teuchi jumped a little at the small voice that suddenly appeared in his ears. He looked out in front, but there was no one in sight. He looked from side to side, but the voice seemed to belong to no one.

"Hey! Down here!"

Teuchi then realized the voice was coming from the other side of his counter. He looked over, and realized there was a small boy with spiky blonde hair grinning from ear to ear, sporting a white shirt with a red swirl on the front. There was another small one by his side, looking more somber but still smiling and sporting raven hair and a black long sleeve shirt.

"Hi, Mr. Teuchi!" said the blonde boy.

"Well, if it isn't Naruto Uzumaki, my favorite customer," beamed Teuchi. "And hello to you too, Sasuke Uchiha."

"Hello, Mr. Teuchi," said the raven-haired boy, politely speaking with a tiny yet calm voice.

"Let me guess; you guys are here for the usual," said Teuchi, rubbing his hands together.

"You betcha!" confirmed Naruto. "I never get tired of eating ramen here! It's the best food ever!"

"I'm glad to hear it. Ayame!" Teuchi turned and called his daughter back to the front.

"I already got two bowls, Dad!" said the young cook, walking forward with two steaming bowls of ramen in her hands.

"Here you go, guys," Ayame chimed, setting the bowls down on the counter-top for the already seated boys.

"Oh boy, this is gonna be so good! Thanks!" cheered Naruto, pulling apart his given chopsticks.

"Thank you," said a shaky Sasuke.

"Enjoy, boys," replied Ayame, moving once more to the back of the shop. Teuchi followed suit to let his two young customers enjoy their food.

One boy was defiantly going to enjoy it; as Naruto could have already told about himself, ramen was his favorite food. His blue eyes glittered at the glorious yellow food in front of him. He was about ready to dig in, but before he would devour the noodles in less than a minute, and the bowl with them, he looked to his right, seeing Sasuke merely stare at his own food.

In actuality, Sasuke didn't like ramen too much. He was no fanatic like Naruto, that was sure. Of course, no one in the village loved ramen more than Naruto. Nevertheless, he could barely stomach the stuff. He only came to Icharaku with Naruto, and he always went with Naruto, because of one thing:

"Hey, Naruto? Up for a little challenge?" he said, using a bigger voice and smirking to his best friend.

"Oh-ho, I'm _always _ready for this challenge," smirked back Naruto, his grip on his chopsticks tightening. "And I always win, too. He-he!"

"Not this time. I'm breaking your little streak."

"Oh, really?"

"Yeah, really."

"OK then. Bring it!"

"Ready when you are!"

Naruto waited for Sasuke to unsheathe his own chopsticks, licking his lips, hungry for both ramen and a contest. Sasuke eyed his opponent warily, knowing he had an advantage over him easily. Still, he just had to get one over on Naruto today.

Naruto began the countdown. "Ready..."

Sasuke followed. "Set..."

"GO!"

Naruto and Sasuke attacked their bowls. Naruto was on a roll, stuffing at least twenty noodles in his mouth per second, while Sasuke shoveled it into his tiny mouth at a more ginger pace, trying to hold it on down.

"Hey, Sasuke, is your stomach holdin' up?" mocked Naruto, muffled by his full mouth.

"I'm fine! I'm not losing this time!" fired back Sasuke, trying not to puke.

Despite their different levels of enjoyment, they were still neck and neck in their little race, determined to out-eat one another.

This was a regular practice for the Uchiha and Uzumaki. Ever since they were old enough to walk and talk, Naruto and Sasuke have become more than best friends; they have become rivals. They spent most of their large amount of shared time together doing all sorts of challenges, like races and tests of strength and speed and of course, guts. But, even though they constantly competed against one and another, and got really fired up with one another when they did, it was all in good fun and sincerity; they strove to improve themselves, but even more so, each other. They wanted to be at the top together.

Soon, Naruto once again found himself the victor, slurping up broth and juice all in one glug as he held the bowl in his tiny arms . He set the bowl down and gave a triumphant sigh.

"Ha! Beat cha again!" he said to Sasuke, sticking his tongue out.

The little Uchiha crinkled his face in frustration as his friend took to rubbing in his victory. This had to be the forty-second time he has ever lost to Naruto at this game, and Sasuke knew that to be true; he always kept track of his and Naruto's win-loss records, and counted down with every kind of contest he had with the blonde son of the Fourth Hokage.

Upon hearing Naruto's satisfied sigh, both Teuchi and Ayame walked back to the front of their shop.

"So, how was it, Naruto?" Ayame asked sweetly, not that she needed to.

"It was awesome! Just like always!" chimed the little spark-plug, eye-smiling all the way.

Sasuke fidgeted in his place, knowing his bowl was still a little less than full. "Sasuke, is there something wrong?" asked Teuchi, noticing the bowl and Sasuke's nervousness.

"Oh, uh, I'm sorry, Mr. Teuchi," started the shaky Sasuke. "I'm just not really that hun-"

A slurp and a burp stopped Sasuke mid-sentence. He quickly looked down to see that his bowl was spinning a little in place, due to just being put back quickly and emptied out. To his left, Sasuke saw a grinning Naruto rubbing his little stomach.

"He-he! That hit the spot!" chuckled Naruto. The nervous Sasuke couldn't help but go wide-eyed for a moment, then stifled a giggle, with Teuchi and Ayame bursting out in laughter. Naruto's love for ramen was flat-out ridiculous.

"Well, never mind, I guess," quipped Sasuke.

"So, Naruto, are you excited for tomorrow?" asked Teuchi, changing the subject. "I'm sure your folks have something special planned for your birthday."

"Oh yeah! I can't wait! I can't believe I'm turning six!" piped Naruto.

"And I'm sure lots of people will show up for your party too."

"Well...", Naruto scratched his head. "Actually, it's just gonna be me, my folks, and Sasuke's family. That's it."

Teuchi raised an eyebrow as Naruto shrugged. The ramen cook thought that the son of the most prestigious figure in the Hidden Leaf today would have a bigger party than what it sounded like. Though, Lord Hokage Minato probably felt he wanted to use Naruto's birthday as an excuse to just be with family and friends. Plus, Naruto's only friend was Sasuke, as they grew up together and preferred to keep to themselves, and besides, Teuchi thought that once Naruto and Sasuke got into the Academy, they would make all kinds of friends, so there was no need to worry.

"But you know, Old Man, you and Ayame can come if you want."

"Ooh, I'd love to come to Naruto's party," commented said female ramen cook. "Could we go, Dad?"

Teuchi sighed heavily, bringing down Naruto's cheer. "Sorry, sport, but Ayame and I gotta be right here tomorrow," he rest a hand on Ayame's head. "I can't afford to take any breaks and I have no one to look over the shop for me." The man's frown met with Naruto's and Ayame's at the same time. "But you know what? If you come back tomorrow, I promise you can have all the ramen you want. No charge," the cook replaced his frown with a smile, hoping to cheer up his favorite customer.

Needless to say, it worked: "Oh really?! Yaaaaaaay!" Naruto spun in his chair, his energy pouring out of his body in waves. Sasuke was about ready to fall over in his own seat at the sight of his goofy friend. Teuchi and Ayame just stood and smiled. They couldn't think against the one who pays for more ramen than anyone else in the village.

"Hey, Sasuke!" yelled a now still Naruto, looking at the startled boy next to him. "You should come with me! We can have loads more contests if you do!"

Sasuke blushed, seeing the expressions of Naruto as well the light in the eyes of the shop owners. Surely, they would appreciate the prodigal brother of Itachi Uchiha swinging by their shop as well, even if his ramen would be free. Maybe his presence would draw in more customers...

"Uh... maybe I should just stick to races and stuff like that," said a very red Sasuke. Naruto giggled at his friend's nervousness. He was so polite and so serious, he couldn't help but make himself look silly sometimes. The ramen cookers thought he looked silly for sure, but thought the reason why was even sillier, of course.

"Well, how about one right now?" suggested Naruto. "Come on! I know you wanna redeem yourself! Plus, I need to work off all this ramen. Whattaya say? Huh? Huh?" He poked Sasuke with his elbow, raising his ire.

Sasuke was still somber inside, but Naruto's jabbing was making him inching towards saying the three letter word that he knew Naruto was begging to here. Looking at the way Naruto's mouth corners kept moving up and up until it looked like his grin would eclipse his face, he felt his nervousness shed and reclaimed the fire that Naruto always lit in his stomach.

Smirking, the Uchiha toddler said, "Now, that's more like it!"

"Ha-ha, all right!" Naruto and Sasuke turned and leapt off their stools. "Thanks, Old Man! See ya tomorrow!" Naruto quickly fished out some ryo from his pocket, placed in on the table, and waved as he and Sasuke sped off down the Leaf paths. Teuchi and Ayame waved back, feeling good that their favorite customer, and their good friend, would come back to their little shop the next day.

"Hey, let's take this race to my house! Momma's probably waitin' for me," said Naruto, and he and his raven-haired friend ran.

"Okay, sure. I gotta get home afterwards, anyway," said Sasuke, not removing his eyes from the front of his view.

Now that they had a destination, the two boys pushed their limits and sped down even faster, as fast as their little legs could take them. They had to dodge and weave through a lot of the villagers as they did, but even those kinds of obstacles was not going to stop the shinobi hopefuls. They simply went on their way, with Naruto sneaking in a few "hi"'s and "hey"'s as he went, making the villagers he passed feel warm as the rambunctious son of their leader showed no fail to his innocence. Sasuke did not need to speak, as some villagers gave a quick bow to him as he sped past.

Soon, they were following in a straight line, and the Fouth Hokage's causal house in the village was in sight. Naruto eyed the front door, and then looked over to Sasuke, who gave him the same grin and look of intensity Naruto himself was showing. Their eyes went back to their fronts, and they started swerving a little in their footing, neck and neck with each other, and stealing an inch or two of lead every few seconds.

"I'm gonna win!" declared Naruto.

"Oh, now you're not!" shot back Sasuke.

The two were near the front porch. Naruto pumped more stamina into his tiny legs and managed to get at least a few inches ahead of Sasuke. But:

"AH!"

Naruto should have slowed down at that point, as his footing got so off-track, he tripped over his own speed and landed on his face on the brown dirt, only so close to his house. He slid a little as he landed, dirt covering his face and going into his mouth. Sasuke hit the brakes as soon as he saw Naruto fall, stopping to catch his breath for a short instance before calling to Naruto and going to his side.

"Hey, Naruto, you alright?" he asked gingerly.

The Fourth's son had the strength to lift himself onto his butt and rub the dirt off his face and out of his spiky locks.

"Ah! That hurt!" he whined. He rubbed the side of his head, and as he did, a tiny lump was soon forming on the upper right hand corner of his forehead. He sighed: "Well, Sasuke, looks like you got this one. We're even."

Sasuke extended a hand out to his fallen friend, to which he grabbed and sat up slowly to his feet, still rubbing his head.

"Well... at least we're even _now_," Sasuke said.

"Huh? What's that mean?" asked a confused Naruto.

"Well, you may have beat me today, but you're still behind." Naruto raised an eyebrow, while Sasuke shrugged. "I have forty-five wins under my belt while you only have forty-two. You're still three away from beating me, Naruto." Sasuke gave an awkward eye-smile that said,"Sorry, but it's true."

Naruto's face fell flat. "Tch. Bookworm!" he said, pouting and crossing his arms. Sasuke could not help but titter at how sore of a loser Naruto was being.

And as if on cue, the door to Naruto's house flew open, with Sasuke turning and Naruto lifting his head to see his mother, Kushina, and coincidentally, Sasuke's brother Itachi, now aged ten and standing next to Kushina.

The red-haired matriarch of the Uzumaki Clan gasped when she saw the now large bump on her son's head. "Oh, my, Naruto! What did you do to yourself?"

"Well, uh, you see, uh-" Naruto was nervous to answer, not wanting to give his mom a heart attack.

"He just had a little spill, Mrs. Uzumaki. Nothing too bad." Naruto mentally thanked Sasuke for saving him from further stuttering.

"It doesn't look like a little spill to me," Kushina said in a worried tone, putting her hands on her hips. She then turned to Itachi and said: "Itachi, thank you for helping me out today, but I need you and Sasuke to go home."

"Of course, Mrs. Uzumaki. It was a pleasure," Itachi replied. He walked down the steps to his little brother and injured friend. "Sorry about your bump, Naruto. Come along, Sasuke." Itachi then started walking to his left, down the path to his and Sasuke's house.

"Oh, uh, right, Brother. Bye, Naruto." Sasuke said as he quickly caught up to his brother.

"Bye, Sasuke, bye, Itachi!" said Naruto, still having enough energy to wave the two off, with lots of happy energy, too. He noticed that Sasuke took to riding piggy-back on Itachi, as the two brothers would normally do with each other. Sasuke enjoyed the ride, and even Itachi did, as well.

Naruto then rushed inside his house, before his mother could even utter another phrase. She rolled her eyes at his undying hyperactivity and closed the door behind her. _Maybe he shouldn't have been _too_ much like me_, she thought.

* * *

To heal Naruto's bump, Kushina decided to use the old rag and alcohol trick, a seemingly rare treatment, considering they live in the world of shinobi and medical ninjutsu, that is. Though, it was excusable considering the smallness of the injury and the smallness of the boy who had it, though it wasn't too small to Kushina, at least figuratively.

She casually began running water on her small brown rag. As she did, she could feel Naruto pulling on her dress.

"Hey, Momma? Can't you tell me something about my party? Huh, Momma? Please, please?"

Kushina chuckled at his cute begging, but kept her eyes on her rag as she answered: "Now, now, Naruto, it's all going to be a suprise. You'll just have to be patient." She then stopped the water and got down on her knees to Naruto's level. "Now, hold still."

Naruto frowned as his mother began wiping his forehead with the damp and now alcohol covered rag. Kushina eye-smiled at his stubbornness; she could never understand why little boys like Naruto were so complacent about being cleaned, whether or not it was for a wound or a bath or anything. _He's definitely my son_, she thought.

"Naruto, there's no need to be so grumpy," she lightly scolded.

Naruto simply kept pouting. Kushina stopped her wiping and posed a question: "Well, then, how does _this_ feel?" She quickly planted a kiss straight on Naruto's bump, making the boy go wide-eyed and make a sour face.

"Oh, stop that now," Kushina scolded again, now placing a bandage on Naruto's head. "Why don't you like my kisses, Naruto?"

"It's just... bleh...", responded Naruto, sticking his tongue out and squinting his blue ocean eyes. Kushina rolled her own blue eyes once more, smiling however as she did.

Suddenly, Naruto straightened up and asked: "Hey, Momma, is Daddy home yet?"

"Well, of course. He's in the family room, reading," she responded.

"Thanks!" Naruto immediately booked it to the room his mother spoke up, which was right across the kitchen, from the left.

In the family room, Minato, as Kushina pointed out, was reading a book written by Jiraiya. He had on his comfortable clothes, was sitting in his big chair, and just then finished the book in it's entirety.

"Hmm, that one was pretty good," commented Minato, closing the book shut and getting up to put it back on the shelf where he kept of all his copies of his sensei's work. Unbeknownst to him, a little boy was hiding behind the doorway of the room, with a smile of mischief plastered on his face. He waited for the perfect opportunity to strike...

As Minato shelved his book, he suddenly heard the pitter-patter of little feet, a noise that sounded like it was coming towards him...

Before he could move, he heard a loud noise ring into his ear: "DADDY!"

Minato turned around to see his hyperactive son run and clamp onto his right leg. Grinning, he said, "Hi, there, Naruto." Naruto giggled as he was picked up from Dad's leg and bounced in the air, his father laughing along with him.

"And how we doing today, son? Oh, and where'd that bump come from?" Minato asked.

"Never mind that, Daddy!" Naruto blurted, as Minato set him on his feet. "Can you please tell me what my birthday's gonna be like?! Please, please?! Momma won't say anything! Please?!"

Minato wagged his finger. "Naruto, don't forget, it's a suprise party. You won't know until tomorrow.

"Aw, can't you tell me _something_?" Naruto folded his hands.

"Well...", Minato put a finger to his chin and looked up at the ceiling.

Naruto unfolded his hands and starting bouncing up and down, waiting to hear what his Dad would spill. "Well, Daddy? Huh, huh?"

Minato eye-smiled and ruffled Naruto's hair, making him sit still as Minato bent down to Naruto's level. "What I can tell you is this: tomorrow is going to be the greatest day of your life. I promise."

Instead of griping, Naruto copied his father's eye-smile as he took to ruffling his hair again. He figured that something of that magnitude was good enough for him. It's not like it would make him _less_ excited, anyway. Then, suddenly, the little blonde opened his mouth and let out a small yawn. It appeared that Naruto _did_ have a limit to his energy after all.

"Oh? Looks like it's about time for a certain little ninja to get to sleep, eh?" Minato teased.

"I'm not that tired," Naruto argued, rubbing his eyes and countering his own argument. "Okay, maybe I am that tired," he admitted.

Minato chuckled and let his son walk into his arms so he could carry him. Minato walked out of the family room and went to Naruto's room, pulling back the covers on his bed and laying down the worn out, whiskered boy, and pulling them back on him. There was no need to say good night, as Naruto had already began snoozing the minute he saddled himself in his father's arms. Minato smiled over Naruto's peaceful body.

"Sleep well, Naruto," he said, walking out of the room. He stood by Naruto's door, taking another look at Naruto sleeping before he would leave him be.

"Oh, he looks so cute. Doesn't he?" said the Hokage's wife, walking to his side and sharing in admiring her son's form.

"Yep. He sure does."

"He'll have tons of fun at his birthday tomorrow. I can tell already."

"You think so?"

"Have I ever been wrong?" Kushina raised an mischievous eyebrow.

Minato shook his head. "You said the same thing when you and Mikoto thought that he and Sasuke would be best friends. I have no doubt you'll be right again."

Kushina smiled. The couple gave each other a quick kiss, and Minato shut Naruto's door.

* * *

The night of Naruto's party was definitely one that the Fourth Hokage's son would enjoy... at least, at first... but then, something tragic happened.

It was late. Naruto and his family were all sitting down at the family table, along with Sasuke and Itachi, whose parents could not come due to them being out of the village at the time, the reason being "special clan business". Naruto had just opened his presents; he got an new shirt, a black version of his normal one, from his father, and from his mother, a little green frog wallet where he could keep all the money he usually spends at Icharaku. The Uchiha boys didn't bring a present, but that was okay with Naruto, as he just wanted his bestest buddy Sasuke to be at his party. Naruto loved his presents, but right now, he was loving the size of his birthday cake even more. The frosting was as white as snow, and six burning candles peppered the texture of the front, with words written in more frosting, saying, "Happy Birthday, Naruto."

"Okay, Mr. Guest Of Honor, make a wish," said a cheeky Kushina, making Naruto blush.

With a big breath, Naruto used all the air his little body could hold and blew out the candles. With a round of applause, the Fourth Hokage's son was feeling like he was on top of the world. His father was right: this was the best day of his life...

Into the cake indulging, Naruto and Sasuke decided to have another one of their contests, that of course being who could eat their slice of cake faster. Sasuke had a bit of an advantage this time around considering the birthday boy's piece was the biggest of them all, but that didn't stop Naruto from getting an early lead. In fact, he was so focused on winning, he didn't see his mother frown from across the table.

Kushina looked on as the concerned mother. "Oh... he's going to get a tummy ache from all that." She bit her lip.

"Relax, Kushina," Minato said next to her, putting his hand on hers. "A little competition will do Naruto some good. It's a good trait for a boy who wants to be a ninja."

Hearing that last sentence, the quiet Itachi, sitting next to Sasuke, took a break from eating his own cake and inquired something to his leader: "That reminds me, Lord Hokage, how has Naruto's progress been so far?"

"Very well," said a proud Minato, with Kushina taking her attention away from Naruto and nodding in agreement. "I've already showed him the basics of chakra and ninja tools and such. Plus, I've told him a few stories about how the shinobi world came to be."

"That's right. And, I, myself, told Naruto about the Uzumaki Clan," added Kushina.

"I see. And has Naruto told you about my own lessons, as well? I just so happened to take Naruto on some sessions in the forest with Sasuke," asked Itachi.

"Well, of course," responded Minato. "It's no wonder I'm seeing your kind of precision when Naruto practices," the Fourth chuckled.

Itachi smiled. "Glad to hear, my Lord. Oh, and have you introduced Naruto to Kakashi, yet? I would think you would like him to help Naruto, as well."

"I'm afraid we haven't. Kakashi did say that he wanted to, but he doesn't really have much time to be a teacher right now. He's always swamped with all his duties as an ANBU," said Kushina in a dejected tone. "That's why we think its better if he teaches him, oh, maybe after he graduates from the Academy." Itachi nodded politely to Kushina's response.

Minato turned his eyes to Naruto, who was still shoveling cake into his mouth. "My son is growing up to be quite the shinobi. Next thing you know, he'll be the next Hokage."

"Oh, don't say that. I mean, I'm proud of Naruto, too, but I don't want my little boy to grow up so fast," said the Uzumaki Clan survivor.

Minato smiled. "I know it's hard, but don't worry: no matter what, even he becomes a ninja the day after today, he's always going to be our energetic little boy," he assured.

Kushina smiled back. "You're right." She rested her head on Minato's shoulder, closing her eyes as she felt less nervous and started feeling more like her happy self.

Itachi looked poised to add another comment to the conversation, but:

SWOOP!

Suddenly, an ANBU with a mask shaped like a crow appeared at the door, kneeling in respect for Minato.

"Lord Hokage, I must speak with you," he said.

"Yes? What is it?" Minato asked, steeling himself for something so serious that his son's birthday had to be interrupted. Kushina lifted her head of his shoulder and tuned into the conversation. Naruto and Sasuke stopped eating and listened in too, along with Itachi.

"The Third Hokage requests your presence," he responded. "He has gained information about the Mask. He is in the village."

The air then grew intense, as Minato and Kushina gasped, with Minato then transitioning his previous cheery mood into that of a stern leader.

"Itachi, you and Sasuke need to go home. Stay inside," commanded Minato.

"Yes, Lord Hokage," said Itachi, only a little rattled by the sudden news. He nodded to Sasuke, who said his goodbyes to Naruto and hopped off his chair. Taking his hand, Itachi walked his little brother out the door and outside, where they cautiously walked home.

"And you," Minato turned to the ANBU, "take my family to my safe house outside of the village. You know where it is."

"Yes, my Lord. I will guard them with my life," assured the masked ninja.

The Fourth Hokage had all the seriousness he could bear as he strode to his and Kushina's room. He pulled open the closet doors, and pulled out one of the many Hokage cloaks he had in there. He strapped the jacket on over his normal Leaf-nin uniform, thinking about all the things that Hiruzen would tell him when he walked into his office. Maybe he found out his real name, or his village. What if he already discovered where he and his family lived? Minato hoped that last thought was untrue. He could not hope enough.

"D-Daddy?"

Minato's thoughts were cut off when he heard a tiny voice coming from the door of his room. He turned to see Naruto, who was looked as though he just saw a puppy die right in front of him.

Minato sighed. This was going to be tough on him, if the worst was to come. Minato wasted no time and strode across the room to his son, bending down on one knee and putting a hand on his tiny shoulder.

"Listen, Naruto; I need you to be strong for your mother. Use everything I've taught you to protect her."

"But, Daddy," started a hoarse Naruto, "I heard it! That ANBU guy said that the masked man was back. I don't want you to-"

"Son... you have to promise me. Stay here and be strong."

"But...but I don't want you to...to...", Naruto's eyes watered up, and they shut tight as the fear he had inside poured down his whiskered cheeks. He was so afraid that the same man that almost kidnapped him when he was a baby was going to hurt his dad. Or worse...

Minato sighed as he felt his son's fear come to him in waves. How could he shoulder a burden so big to a boy so small? Or any boy for that matter?

"Naruto, listen to me," Minato said softly. Naruto opened his eyes, which were now glittering bright due to the tears. Minato brushed the tears off Naruto's face with his thumb, and gently pulled him into a hug. Naruto wrapped both of his arms around his father's back, feeling as thought it would be the last time he could.

"I know this is hard, and that you're afraid," Minato admitted, "but I promise you: I will always be with you. There is nothing more precious to me and your mother than you. And I will do what I must so that you both can be safe."

"And _I'll_ do what I must, as well," said a voice that didn't belong to Naruto. The boy turned his head as he and Minato saw a figure walk towards them.

"Kushina?" Minato was shocked to see his wife, as she wore a determined face and had her hands on her hips. But what shocked him really was that she was wearing a Hidden Leaf-nin outfit: green flak jacket, a dark blue undershirt with a collar that covered her neck, dark blue pants that reached her knees with a shuriken strap on on her left leg, and dark blue sandals, replacing her normal light purple ones. She also kept her wristband on her right hand, and tied back her long red hair into a ponytail, with long strands still covering the sides of her plump face and down to her chest. The official Hidden Leaf headband was strapped tight on her forehead.

"Kushina, what are you doing?" Minato asked frantically. "Why do you have that outfit? What are you-"

"Minato." Kushina's voice cut through Minato like glass. She was not in the mood to argue. "My son doesn't need to protect me; _I _need to protect _him_."

"This isn't the time to act like this. The village is in great danger."

"I know. That's why I am preparing to protect it myself. You may be Hokage, but I'm still a kunochi of this village."

"You haven't been a ninja for a long time."

"What are you talking about? I've always been a ninja!" Kushina said with force. "I couldn't have just stopped being a ninja. From the second I got this headband, I've been devoted to being a Hidden Leaf kunochi. I still know my old tricks, you know."

"I know, but," Minato clenched his fists, "but, you have to be rational. You're only at chunin rank, and this Mask was able to catch someone like _me_ off guard. Do you really believe you can stand up to him?"

Kushina paused, and her face grew softer. "Minato..."

The Fourth Hokage rose to his feet, so that he and his wife were looking eye to eye. Kushina took a few steps closer to Minato, not taking her gaze off him for even a moment.

"What's going through your head, Kushina?"

The kunochi lowered her head. "When that Mask last came here... he almost took away what was the most precious to me... I... I'm scared to death of it happening again... I _can't_ let it happen..." She gently yet firmly grasped the front of Minato's jacket, as if she was clinging to him, as if out of desperation. "If you or Naruto were to die... I... wouldn't forgive myself... knowing that I would have stood back and watched as-"

Kushina was fighting the urge to cry. She figured that this stand she was making, this stand of rising to the occasion, would crumble in an instant if she resorted to letting her emotions shower out of her. After all, with all that talk, she proved to have determination, but if what would it prove is she took to bawling like a scared little girl?

Minato could imagine the conflict his wife was feeling as he observed her holding on to him, as if the minute she let go, he'd disappear before her very eyes. And what about the boy who was now gazing at him and his mother without a clue of how to feel? He was feeling his own urge to cry once more. He realized just how it must have felt for her the day Naruto was born; she was helpless and could barely move. The Mask could have had his way right then and there.

Minato sighed. He lifted Kushina's chin so they could once more meet eye to eye. "I understand. You don't have to be afraid...I know that you're strong. You've always had been. And I assure you, you're not going to sit on the sidelines," Minato smiled. "I, myself, would make the same sacrifice if I was in your position. You know that, right?"

Kushina blinked away her tears and nodded. She rested her head against Minato's chest as she was gently pulled in for one last embrace, Minato holding her ever so tightly.

No more words were needed to be said by husband nor wife. They both knew what lied ahead, their great mission at hand. Minato and Kushina pulled away, and with that, the Fourth Hokage vanished in a streak of yellow light.

Naruto, the observer in this ordeal, was still feeling uneasy as he watched his father disappear. His mother still wore her grave expression of worry, as she continued to stare at the spot where Minato's feet were a moment ago. But, the Uzumaki woman closed her eyes, breathed deeply and shed her last bits of despair. Smiling warmly to no one in particular, Kushina felt the tug on her arm by little Naruto.

"Momma, is Daddy coming back?" What more could he ask?

Kushina directed her smile to him, taking his hand and declaring: "Don't worry. Everything will be fine."

Kushina and Naruto were then joined by the ANBU assigned by Minato. "Lady Kushina, Honorable Son, Are you ready to leave?"

"Yes, we are," Kushina answered. "Naruto?"

Naruto could feel the warmness of his mother's grip replace his doubt with confidence. His normal brashness was starting to return, as he spoke: "Yeah. Let's go."

* * *

**AN: I'm afraid I have no choice but to use the dreaded Cliffhanger Jutsu. :( This part of the story was actually longer for me to write than I expected. Oh well. At least I'm making Kushina even more badass than she was in canon. :)**

**- Read And Review, Firaga96**


	3. True Suffering

NARUTO:

IRON BONDS

Disclaimer: The following is a non-profit, fan-based fanfiction. Naruto and Naruto: Shipudden are owned by Viz Media, Shouen Jump, TV Tokyo, and Mashashi Kishimoto. Please support the official release.

* * *

Prologue Saga | III: True Suffering

* * *

Hiruzen Sarutobi could not be more stern nor concerned as he was now. The Village Hidden In The Leaves was in great danger, no doubt about it.

It had not been more than five minutes after Hiruzen sent an ANBU to Minato Namikaze's house, to alert him of the Mask's arrival, when Minato appeared in the Hokage's Office using his advanced speed. Hiruzen, sitting at his desk, had been waiting for him, and the room was filled with other ANBU.

"Ah, Minato. I'm glad you could arrive so fast. You truly are deserving of being 'The Leaf's Yellow Flash'", Hiruzen praised, still keeping a stern expression.

"Thank you, Lord Hokage," Minato said politely, but still wearing his own sternness from before. "Now, tell me; what exactly do you know about the Mask as of now? Have you gathered any intel about where his location in the village is?"

Hiruzen furrowed his brow. "I'm afraid not. All we have at the moment is that he has been spotted near the Hokage Monument and that he has already killed 10 ANBU."

"Lord Hokage, we must locate the Mask as soon as possible. This villain could be anywhere in the village by now, maybe even hiding before our very eyes."

"Are you suggesting that he is using a jutsu to disguise himself?"

"That is correct. I would believe that he is using a Transformation Jutsu."

Hiruzen raised a grew eyebrow. "Minato, that's a very basic jutsu; I'm sure that some of our more advanced ninja or ANBU would be able to detect him if he came near."

"It may not seem that way," Minato countered. "The Mask is a ninja unlike anyone I've seen before; he was able to sneak into the chamber set for me and Kushina when Naruto was going to be born. He didn't need any jutsu, either; simple assassination and stealth was all he used."

"And even though he might be using a basic jutsu like Transformation, he could still be using a body of one of the ANBU he slew, to further throw off any of our ninja, and more effectively as well."

"In any case, I've alerted all ninja chunin rank and above of the Mask, and have ordered every civilian to return to their homes," Hiruzen stood up from his chair and placed his hands behind his back. "Also, I had a medical team search nine of the deceased ANBU for any evidence. Nothing was found," Hiruzen lowered his head.

"What about the tenth ANBU?" asked Minato, finding a sense of uneasiness in himself.

The Third Hokage raised his head to look into the Fourth's blue eyes, "Well, the tenth ANBU was reported to have escaped the Mask's attack, but he was still left fatally wounded, and with accordance to ANBU code, he disposed of his own body, leaving no trace of himself. If I remember correctly, the ANBU in particular wore a crow shaped mask."

Minato found shock. An ANBU was killed that had a crow-shaped mask..."Lord Hokage, that same type of mask was worn by the ANBU you sent to warn me. I left him with my family," he said calmly yet filled with fear.

Hiruzen was surprised. "How is that so? The ANBU I sent did not have a crow mask, it had a fox mask."

"But-!"

Just then, yet another ANBU entered the room, a body strung over his shoulder. "Lord Fourth, I have just received a crucial piece of information regarding the Mask."

"Yes? What is it?" Minato regained some of his composure as he turned to face the kneeling ninja in black.

"Well, sir... I found this body outside your home."

The ANBU set down the body. It was yet another ANBU...he wore a mask shaped like a fox.

Minato froze once again, feeling as though he would fall over. All the pieces fit: the Mask severely injured an ANBU, knowing he would dispose of his body, but took his mask in anticipation. That mask was all he would need to assume his form. The ANBU that the Third Hokage sent to warn him was caught and killed. The former took his place as the Third Hokage's messenger. Masks...it all pointed to one solution.

_Damn it all! He's with them!_

* * *

The path to the safe house was definitely a journey on foot. The party of three were walking through the Hidden Leaf forest, with Kushina and Naruto walking ahead, while the ANBU stayed behind and watched their backs. Naruto clenched his mother's hand tightly, actually very afraid of the situation they were in. That little boost of confidence he had back at his house sure did not last long. But, the warmness he felt holding his pretty mother's hand made his comfortable enough to at least hide his fear to a certain extent.

Kushina insisted to the ANBU that they walk because she knew that the ANBU couldn't carry her and Naruto at the same time with a Body Flicker, nor could use the Body Flicker as well; she was just chunin after all. She sort of regretted not working as hard as Mikoto did back when they were younger. Mikoto had been reduced to a housewife as of now, not that she complained about it, but even so, she was still a jounin-level kunochi! So much for her reputation. She then decided to start training again after this whole Mask fiasco got over with so that she could be at the same level as her best friend. That is, if she lived that long...

"M-Momma?" squeaked Naruto.

The three stopped walking, just as they were walking across a gap in the forest, where a long patch of grass lay, and was shouldered by a clear lake sparkled in the bright glow of the moon. Naruto was definitely anxious as the barrier he wore on his face to hide his fear came off; his oceanic eyes glistened as he looked up innocently to his mother, who could sense his fear from a mile away. The ANBU stayed behind, not showing his own emotions for two reasons: one, his mask hid his expression, and two, he was an ANBU, and was not supposed to show emotion anyway.

"Yes? What is it, Naruto?" asked Kushina, putting warmth into her voice.

"I... I'm ...", Naruto looked to the ground. He couldn't bring himself to say what he truly felt, not even to his own mother. He thought it would make him look like a crybaby. Crybabies cannot protect their mothers, nor can they make their fathers proud.

Kushina made a small smile. "You're afraid. Aren't you?"

Naruto shot up, looking to the same kind eyes that his mother had when he first got their attention. The thing was, he wasn't expecting them to still be kind after his mother had basically confirmed his feelings. His true feelings. Why was she still smiling?

He then decided to lie. "N-No. No, I'm not scared! I-I'm not!" His frantic shaking and stuttering did not help to confirm his statement. Kushina's smile then left.

"Naruto, I know that you're lying to me," she simply said.

Naruto stiffened again. It appeared that he had fallen between a rock and a hard place. Though, being the small boy he was, he wasn't able to keep up his stubbornness for long. He looked to the ground again, the words of his father flowing to his mind. He looked back up with moist eyes as he and spilled the truth.

"Okay, fine! I..," he shut his eyes as they poured out his emotion, "I'm scared! I'm really scared... I just... I don't want Daddy to get hurt... or you, either. He told me... he told me I had to protect you, and... I don't know if I can! Momma, I don't want you to get hurt!"

As Naruto continued to sob and then grabbed his mother's hands with his own little hands. His mother was actually surprised to see him open up so much; she knew her son to be just like her: brash, bold, and always energetic. He did not get scared or worried about anything, and he was always smiling. But then she remembered that Naruto had another side to him. A side that Minato's genes were responsible for. But, even though she would joke about her husband being a softy and sometimes that Naruto acted like one because of that, she knew inside that Naruto was just a kind and caring boy. He truly loved her, like Minato loved her.

Kushina slipped one of her hands from Naruto's grip and stroked his whiskered face. Her touch alone was able to calm Naruto down enough to where he raised his head and saw through a watery gaze his mother smile to him. She spoke to him in her truest form, words that shook Naruto to his core but gave him a feeling of reassurance as well:

"Naruto, you don't need to worry about protecting me. I'm the one who has to keep _you_ safe. And as long as you're with me, you'll always be safe. That's I need to be alright, Naruto. It really is. Besides..."

Kushina bent over Naruto and pulled him into a kiss, her lips pursed right on the middle of his forehead. They stayed for at least a minute, with Naruto feeling his cheeks grow red, but also feeling his tears stop flowing, and his fears and worries drifting away. Surely, this was a feeling someone could only feel if they had the love of a mother. And Kushina loved Naruto very much.

"Oh? I thought you didn't like my kisses," teased Kushina, knowing Naruto felt better, and seeing the corners of his mouth rise up when she retracted.

Naruto's voice was strained, but his happiness still showed through: "No. I do, Momma, honest. They're the best in the world," Naruto walked closer to Kushina and wrapped his arms around the back of her legs, resting his head against her knees. "Momma... I love you."

Now Kushina felt that she would cry herself. But she resisted, as she felt that now wasn't the time for her cry; after all, she had a boy to protect. She just crouched down and pulled Naruto into a hug, as her little boy held her as tightly as she held him.

Meanwhile, the ANBU had stood watching the two Uzumakis embrace, after all that time, with his stance not faltering, and his readiness to swoop in and protect the family of his leader... or so it seemed. Really, behind his mask, his eyes were set into a glare, as he was waiting to do something entirely different, something sinister.

Kushina and Naruto continued to embrace, and Kushina decided to echo Naruto's last phrase, to truly make him feel safe in her arms...

"Naruto... I love-"

_Now._

It all happened in a millisecond: before Kushina could finish her sentence, her eyes widened as she saw the ANBU spring forward, not to protect, but to attack. She saw chains coming out of his sleeves as he threw them forward to connect with her head. She immediately leaped to the left, taking Naruto with her. She landed on her feet and kept Naruto tucked in her arms as she shot a confused and angry glare at the ANBU.

The ANBU chuckled as he saw Kushina glare and Naruto look behind himself at his now menacing disposition, making the little blonde shudder in fear. He quickly buried his face in his mother's chest.

"Oh, is the little prince scared?" the ANBU teased. "I hope I don't give him nightmares."

"Who the hell are you?!" Kushina demanded. "You can't be a member of the ANBU."

"Correct, Lady Kushina. I'm afraid your husband was a little bit careless in choosing me as your guardian... just like he was in choosing those other ANBU when your precious Naruto was born."

"Don't mock my husband! Just who are you already?!"

The ANBU flicked his wrists and his chains came back out. He spoke in a new voice, one that was more dark and mysterious than the one he had before: "I am... a figure from the past."

Kushina gasped. Slowly, but steadily she began to understand: that voice, those chains, and his knowing of the incident that happened six years ago.

"You! The Mask!"

"That's right," the Mask sneered. He shed his ANBU disguise, his body emitting a cloud of smoke and exiting its Transformation Jutsu. The man now appeared as he did all those years ago: the black cloak on his head, and the pale orange mask set on his face.

"This time, my plan will succeed. Your foolish husband nor his student are around, so you are defenseless. No one is going to save you now."

Kushina bit her lip, trying to somehow think of a way to get away... she had to get away. If this man was about to beat Kakashi and outsmart Minato, then...

_Wait a minute, what am I doing? _She thought. _I said I would protect my family._.. her hold on Naruto tightened as she looked down at his scared form. _And I will._

Turning from the Mask, she set Naruto on his feet and commanded him to look at her. Naruto followed, his oceanic eyes starting to glimmer with fear once more.

"Listen to me, honey; I need you to get away from here."

"What?! But-"

"Ssh..." she put a finger to Naruto's lips. "I'll be alright. You said that you wanted to prove yourself to be strong, right?"

Naruto nodded.

"Well, your mother wants to prove that, too. And no matter what, Naruto, you will always be the strongest little boy there is. Your father would agree with me... and he also would make the same sacrifice I'm making here now."

Naruto grew uneasy; the word "sacrifice" only meant one thing to him. Still, he bit back his fear, and with a quick nod, ran fast and far into the forest. He stopped at the first tree he saw, deciding to hide behind it and look on at his mother and the Mask, just in case. He still wanted to protect her, even as he clutched the bark with all his worry pouring into his grip, so he couldn't just leave her.

Naruto saw Kushina and the Mask face off. Kushina clenched her fists in preparation for what she knew would be a difficult battle, while the Mask simply stared on, chains still unsheathed and lying limp on the cold grass.

"Tell me, Kushina, why do you insist on doing this?"

"Because I love my family... I love them very much. And the night you came to take the Nine Tailed Demon Fox, you almost took them instead. I couldn't do a thing to stop you... but now I can," she raised a fist to the Mask, "I'm not sitting on the sidelines while my family and my village are in danger. I'm going to fight!"

"Are you sure you can, Miss Uzumaki? I have no recollection of you showing your skills as a kunochi." _All I have ever seen is Minato-Sensei's skills. Did she ever even fight back then? _The Mask said in his mind, somewhat less insidiously than the words he said out loud.

"Well, I guess I owe you a demonstration," she replied mischievously.

The two stared each other down...

"Alright. Let's begin," said the Mask.

Kushina fell into a fighting stance as the Mask threw his chains at her. She pulled out a kunai from her weapon pouch and attempted to slash them away, but while they did connect with the blade, they also wrapped around Kushina's forearm, and clung tightly as she struggled not to be pulled in.

The Mask smirked behind his orange, spiraled face. "I told you that you were weak."

"Weak? Me?" Kushina stop struggling and smirked back. "You really don't know who I am, do you? In this village, I'm known as the 'Red-Hot Habanero'.

"And what does that mean to me?" The Mask mocked.

"It means...", Kushina suddenly pulled the chains around her forearm, causing the Mask to fly towards her. As he drew close, Kushina loaded her free hand back and balled it into a fist. "It means I've got a nice right hook!"

With the force of a lion, she struck the Mask square in the center of his face, causing him to fly across the clearing, his chains coming loose from Kushina's forearm.

He landed with a thud and straight on his stomach, while Kushina rubbed her reddened flesh, feeling proud even as she did.

Naruto could not believe his eyes. _Wow! Momma's so cool!_ Even though she couldn't see it, Naruto gave her his trademark grin as praise.

_D-dammit!_ The Mask cursed, standing up to one knee and staring at the ground._ This is ridiculous! Why did I let my guard down? I thought she couldn't fight at all! I'm being soft._

The Mask stood all the way to his feet and turned back to Kushina, who readied herself once more, a kunai in her right hand. He met her confidence smirk with a masked scowl, glaring fiercely and once again summoned his chains.

"Alright, Kushina. Play time is over. I'm not going to go easy on you anymore."

"Oh really? Glad to hear it!" boasted Kushina. She couldn't help but bring back the same energy she had as a kid, as well as her cockiness. However, she still knew that his Mask was no ordinary ninja, nor just some punk kid trying to poke fun at her plump face or red hair. She had to expect the worst.

Keeping that thought in mind, she pulled out several shuriken and threw them at the Mask, who brought up kunai and blocked each one, then threw the kunai at Kushina, who's rusty ninja skills brought her off balance due to the whizzing speed of the weapon. It gave the Mask time to quickly dash to Kushina's strike zone, his chains extended to slash. Kushina ducked under one and moved to the side to dodge a hand aiming for her throat. She saw an opening and attempted to punch the Mask in the face, but was blocked. She went ahead and added in more punches to his head and upper body, but each were either blocked or dodged. _This guy's speed is insane!_ The Uzumaki kunochi griped.

The Mask tried an attack of his own, as he summoned explosive tags from his sleeves and sent them right at her. Kushina just managed to leap away from the huge explosion it made, shielding her eyes with her arms as she did. Skidding to a halt on the ground, Kushina immediately went through several hand signs, then folded her hands together as she sprang forward.

"This'll take care of you!" she yelled. Her hands reached out to place the newly created seal on the Mask, but, he simply stood, and at the last second, disappeared from sight, her landing hands creating a seal on the ground anyway. Kushina growled as she dispelled it and turned her gaze furiously from side to side, trying to locate the assassin.

"No, it won't," the Mask said, mocking Kushina for her previous comment. Kushina gasped as the Mask had slid behind her and finally managed to get her with his chains, wrapping them around her whole body, and making her unable to move.

"You shouldn't be so loud when fighting, Kushina. A ninja is supposed to be deceptive, and able to lie in the darkness until an opportunity appears before them," further mocked the Mask, thinking he would get a rise out of his former sensei's wife.

However, Kushina did not fire back nor struggle with the chains. She simply smirked, and in an instant, her body was lost in a puff of smoke, being replaced with a log when the smoke cleared.

_Substitution, eh? _The Mask examined.

"How's that for deceptive?" a voice behind him called.

Kushina brought her right leg up and looked to roundhouse the side of the Mask's head behind him, but as she did, her foot went right his head, his head swirling as the blow landed, as if he was just a mirage, and as if Kushina had just kicked through water. _What __the hell was that?_ Kushina cursed.

The Mask took advantage of Kushina's confusion and immediately turned back and landed a kick of his own, throwing Kushina away from him. Kushina now found herself on the losing end, trying helplessly to guard or dodge the now oncoming strikes from the Mask, but he just kept wailing on the kunochi ever so. Then, stopping his onslaught, the Mask launched one good punch to her stomach and Kushina could feel blood filling her mouth. Following, The Mask saw as Kushina doubled over from the impact, falling to her knees as he watched. Naruto, from his place grew afraid.

"I have to admit, you're more of a challenge than I expected... but, then again, I'm holding back. I'll make sure to be less nice when I take on the Fourth Hokage. In fact, his demise will be a great example of the failures this reality has produced. He truly was a fool from the first time I met him..."

"Shut up!" Kushina roared, snapping her head up, then springing at the Mask once again, aiming for another right hook. However, she once again went through the Mask as he used that strange power of his. Chuckling, the Mask loaded his own right hand back as Kushina looked back after her failed attack.

"Now, let me show you _my_ right hook."

SMACK!

The force behind the Mask's fist felt like a rock had smacked into Kushina's cheek as she went soaring across the clearing, her headband flying off her forehead, and bouncing a little as she skidded near the lake, resting square on her back. Naruto gasped at the sight of his fallen mother and how her body flopped on the ground like a rag-doll.

"I think I should just end you right here," the Mask mused. He walked closer as Kushina was barely able to make it back to her feet. Clutching her right shoulder, which felt dislocated, she stared down the Mask and decided to inquire some information:

"J-Just who are you, exactly? You invade this village... and you seek the Nine Tails..."

The Mask stopped his footing and interrupted: "I don't just seek the Nine Tails. I plan to take control of it completely, and use it for my plans to control this world," he said almost smugly.

"Control the Nine Tails?" Kushina could only think of one person that had the power to manipulate a Tailed Beast, other than the jinchuriki... _He can't be... Madara Uchiha, could he?_

Regardless of her query towards this masked assassin, she simply put the thought aside as she then drilled the Mask with another question: "Why do you want to control the Nine Tails? What are you planning to do with it?"

"The Nine Tails is the key to my plan; my goal is to take over this pitiful world and erase this miserable reality that we all live in. I will start a war... and then, I will bring peace."

"Miserable reality? A war?" _This guy is nuts_, she commented in her mind, as the Mask readied his chains once again, and dashed forward, his blood red eye showing through.

Instinctively, Kushina threw a barrage of kunai at the Mask, who simply dodged each one, and continued to pounce on Kushina, who stood in place.

"Out of tricks, Miss Uzumaki?" said the Mask, as he was about to slash Kushina with the brunt of one of his chains.

"No," Kushina answered, actually smirking at the Mask. "I'm full of surprises."

POOF!

The Mask stopped his dash to see the kunai that he dodged form into clones of Kushina, who pounced at him the same way he was going to pounce on Kushina, each one aiming to stab the Mask with a kunai. The Mask was fast enough to turn around and block each stab by grabbing and holding the clones by their wrists as they all stood in a power struggle.

"Impressive. Mixing both the Shadow Clone Jutsu and the Transformation Jutsu in one swing. I'm surprised you even know the Shadow Clone Jutsu," drawled the Mask, not even looking at Kushina as he locked horns with her clones.

Kushina weakly chuckled. "I'm may not be a jonin, but like I said, I'm full of surprises. Plus, my style of ninjutsu is rather creative. And even though it's not exactly full proof, I make it work."

"I'd expect no less than the wife of a Hokage," said the Mask, who finally disposed of the Kushina clones by jumping over them and punching them both square in the back. Kushina took advantage of this distraction and retreated to the lake, pumping chakra into her feet so she could walk on the murky water. The Mask used his strange teleportation technique to appear a few feet across from the red-hair kunochi.

"How are you doing that? I know that it's not a Body Flicker, it's unlike any jutsu I've seen or read about," said Kushina.

"That is a secret," the Mask answered.

"Tch, everything about you seems to be a secret." Kushina then made one hand seal, making a cross with her fingers.

"Shadow Clone Jutsu!"

Alongside Kushina, an army of twenty clones surrounded her proximity. They immediately rushed forward at the Mask, who stood, waiting for them to come.

_Hmm... Kushina seems to have a large abundance of chakra to be able to use that kind of technique_, he thought, as he maneuvered his way against each clone, dodging, blocking strikes, and occasionally subduing one or two at a time.

Kushina narrowed her eyes as she let her clones handle the Mask and then grasped her right wrist with her left hand. _All right. I have him distracted. Now I have a chance to finish him for good!_

She stared down at her hand as she began gathering chakra at a slow pace. The gathered chakra swirled around in her palm and started to form a ball.

_Come on, come on-ugh!_ Kushina's hand was killing her; managing both the rotation and stability of this jutsu put a massive strain on those who hadn't fully mastered it, and Kushina had not used the jutsu in combat at all. Even as the ball became slightly misshapen in her hand as her effort was slipping, Kushina gritted her teeth and thought of Naruto, who she thought was probably scared to death because the Mask...

In actuality, Naruto continued to peer out from his hiding spot, watching both the Mask pummel his mother's Shadow Clones, and Kushina gathering her chakra in her hand. Naruto perked up at seeing the blue ball formed in Kushina's hand, as he remembered that his father had created a similar blue ball one time when he was watching him train. _Is Momma really using that? Wow..._

_Just a little more now... _The ball was big enough to take up all the space in Kushina's palm, it's crinkles ironing themselves out as Kushina continued to concentrate.

The Mask had three clones left to fight. He tried to slash them all away with a single flick of his chains, but they all managed to dodge the swipe, two clones grabbing him by the arms and the third wrapping her arms around his neck in a choke hold. The Mask stood as the clones held him down the water.

Meanwhile, the real Kushina had completed her jutsu! Her eyes lit up as she witnessed the full figured and swirling blue ball of chakra in her right hand. Her eyes immediately snapped back to the Mask, who stood helpless and bound on the surface of the lake.

She sped down the lake, the ball clutched in her hand tight. As she narrowed down her path, she thought to herself: _Minato... I know this is your jutsu, something that took you three __years to master, and that I taught myself how to use it behind your back... _she gritted her teeth... _but please understand why. I'm doing this for our son. I... I must protect Naruto!_

Now closing in on the Mask, she thrust the ball forward, aiming right for the Mask's chest.

"RASENGAN!" cried Kushina.

The world slowed down as the Mask looked to meet his comeuppance in the form of Kushina's jutsu, the ball inches away from grinding away at his chest... he glared and scowled behind his mask... but it quickly formed into a wicked smile.

_Fool._

The Mask brought his head back to hit the Kushina clone behind him, landing a blow on her head.

POOF!

The Uzumaki kunochi gasped as she saw the Mask jump up and knock away the other clones with two kicks. As time still seemed to go in slow motion, the Mask himself exploded into a puff of smoke. Kushina shielded her eyes with her arms, the Rasengan technique fading away... and when she uncovered herself, she did not even have time to gasp as she saw the Mask was not even the real thing, nor a clone.

It was an explosive tag, falling towards her in the air.

BOOM!

The blast threw Kushina straight into the lake. Naruto's blue eyes almost popped out their sockets as all he saw was an explosion and a big wave of water pop up and rain back down to the earth below. He stood shocked, and lowered his head as he shook all over, praying that what he thought was true was not. Then, his popped up a couple of minutes after, as he a figure appear in the middle of the clearing, now staring at the lake.

The Mask saw the last of the ripples fade, setting the lake back into its calm fixture. His voice once again grew monotonic:

"Not as bright as her husband, I suppose. Oh well..."

He turned back as he sensed the small chakra signature of the offspring of his supposed dead opponent. Naruto noticed his gaze as he hid back the tree. His back hugged the bark as he hugged himself, eyes shut tight and scared out of his mind.

The Mask turned back to see the water ripple once more. Then, a hand rose out of the water and clutched the dirt on the bank, another hand following suit. Kushina had survived the blast, but barely, as every muscle of her body ached as she pulled her now scarred and bloodied frame out of the lake, coughing up more water as she did. She had barely survived the blast, her shinobi outfit torn to shreds and singed black. Her bare skin bore cuts and bruises, and even her left pant leg had been torn halfway off, and her right sandal lost in the lake, leaving her right foot bare, and just as calloused as her body.

She tried to stand, but her knees and feet could not even bear to move. Her hands felt like huge weights as she used them as the only way of keeping off the ground. Panting and close to death, she heard footsteps coming her way. She craned her neck up to see the Mask, staring down at her, his red eye boiling with excitement.

"Your efforts have been for naught, Uzumaki. Now..."

Swiftly yet deadly, the Mask grabbed Kushina by her throat once more, lifting her in the air. As she gasped for breath, he quickly pulled the remains of her shirt upwards, and to his liking, a black, inky seal was on Kushina's stomach.

Naruto did not know why he kept staring and sitting in his place, but he did, watching as the Mask tortured his mother ever so. He closed his eyes again, thinking that if he opened them again, everything would be alright. He thought about all the good times he had with his family, how they would play together, laugh together, how fun it was to train with Daddy, and how funny it was to play with Mommy, and occasionally see her get mad at something... for a moment, he felt at peace.

However, when he opened his eyes once more, that feeling disintegrated, as he now saw that the Mask had placed Kushina in the middle of the lake, standing on a rock uprooted from the water, as several black tendrils held her up like a puppet on strings, connecting with the four other rock structures that surrounded her, the tendrils flattening on the rocks like spider webs.

"Why... why are you doing this? What kind of peace do you wish to have with a demon?" she queried, barely able to speak.

"All will be answered in the future... too bad you won't live that long," the Mask replied, his eye shining red and bearing black tome. He then began to laugh to himself. "It's funny."

"What?"

"Your seal. I've noticed that Minato incorporated the same seal he uses for the Flying Thunder God Jutsu into the seal for the Nine Tails. He did that so he could always come to your side when you needed him. What a fool."

Kushina bit back a growl as the tendrils seem to tighten and the Mask continued on:

"I was able to sneak up on him and steal his child, and now I've stolen his wife," his eye narrowed. "And it seems all that fighting has left you weak, and your seal is starting to weaken, too."

The red-haired kunochi froze in fear as she saw the Mask's red eye widen with sadistic pleasure. "I've waited so long for this to happen," he said maliciously.

Quickly, the Mask threw up a hand sign, and Kushina could feel that feeling of power coming back to her. And just like before, the feeling was not good; it was burning. The black seal on her stomach, blob and all, sizzled and crackled. Red and bubbly like chakra surrounded her form as she cried out in pain, making her onlooking son's heart clench. Her eyes rolled to the back of her head as she continued to scream, and the bubbly chakra shroud started to take a different shape.

Inside, she could feel the sounds of a barrier breaking, a seal breaking. The shroud started to take shape even more, growing larger and larger, until I resembled a figure, an animal. As it grew to monstrous sizes, it took the shape of a giant fox, who yelled out in anger.

This was it: the Nine Tailed Demon Fox. He had escaped from his jinchuriki, his host body, and now replaced it's bubbly mass with solid, orange fur. It stood up on is hind legs and let out a mighty roar, it's nine tails swirling around his frame in anger.

Kushina collapsed down on the ground, the tendrils and seals being released from her. The fact that she was not dead, as all jinchuriki do when their Tailed Beast escape, would be from her strong will and stamina, a prominent trait of the Uzumaki Clan. She could not move an inch, just laying there on the rock as the beast continued to rage and the Mask's red eye continued to gleam with sadistic pride.

"Now then, I must return to the village. But first," he looked upon the Nine Tails, who stopped his raging and now looked down upon his former host, red eyes burning redder with hatred, "I think it would only be fair for the Nine Tails to have some revenge against his jinchuriki."

The Nine Tails responded to the Mask's banter, swinging a giant claw up to smash the rock that Kushina lay on.

Naruto bit back a bloodcurdling scream. He was too afraid. Too afraid to do anything. To help. To protect her.

The claw came crashing down.

SMASH!

The beast had done the deed... Naruto thought he would scream for real this time... but then felt a weird sensation right above his head. He looked up at the tree he was hiding behind, and almost dropped to his knees in praise.

Minato had arrived. He saved Kushina, who now lay safe in his arms as he cradled her like a new bride.

Naruto was done being silent. Tears filled his eyes as he cried out: "Mommy! Daddy!"

"Hmm... one last glimmer of hope, I see. Too bad that it's too late," droned the Mask, seeing the couple safely on the treetop.

Naruto stared up to the two as if they were angels in the sky... however, his smile faded when he whirled his head back to the Mask. The way he looked at them made Naruto think he would go after them. He already hurt his mother so much, and now his father had arrived, and he would probably hurt him too. Naruto balled his tiny hands into fists. He felt his fear dissolve, and instead, morph into anger. He was through with that stupid Mask hurting the ones he loved. He had to do something!

Meanwhile, back on the treetop: "M-Minato... you..." Kushina tried to say.

"Don't worry, Kushina. You've done well. But now, leave this to me. I'm proud of you for what you did, and I'm sure Naruto is, too."

Kushina weakly smiled, and moved her hand to Minato's face, but then her eyes lit up as she grew fearful and pulled it back. "Wait! Naruto!" she turned her head to the side. "He's probably still down there somewhere."

Minato followed his wife's gaze to see if he could at least pinpoint his tiny chakra signature, it being so tiny because of his small amount of training. He did not need to, however, as both he and Kushina realized where he was exactly.

"Hey you!"

Minato twirled his head to the clearing, Kushina doing so as well. They both bore open mouths as they saw their six year old son facing off with the Mask, his entire body shaking and his eyes filled with tears.

The Mask chuckled at the toddler before him. "And what do we have here?"

"Y...y-you..." Naruto said, his tiny hands balled into fists. "I..I'm gonna...I'M GONNA KILL YOU!"

He took off running at fast as he could towards the Mask, screaming out all his fear and his agony at seeing the Mask hurt his mother.

"NARUTO, DON'T!" screamed Minato and Kushina. But it was too late.

As soon as Naruto got close enough, the Mask raised his hand and swatted him away like a fly, sending him flying back to the trees. He landed head first on the same one he hid behind, and the one his parents stood watching on.

"NARUTO!" Kushina cried out, as Minato just looked on in horror.

Darkness... it started to cloud Naruto's mind as he lay against the tree. His life force was like that of Kushina's due to his Uzumaki blood... but still, he felt that one blow was his one and only chance to stop the man... the man who hurt his mother. His eye-lids started to droop... his head fell to the side as a tiny speck of blood poured out the side of his head... he was fading fast. The last thing he saw, was the Mask himself, walking away as if nothing of what he did even mattered, and the giant fox he had unleashed still rampaging around the forest... Naruto fell into a state of unconsciousness... and he thought only one thing as he did:

_I'm... I'm sorry._

* * *

Rumbling... crashing... roaring...

Naruto's eyes slowly opened once more... his head was throbbing, but felt better than in the passing moments of his last stream of consciousness. Only one blue eye stayed open as he looked around him, rolling the eye from side to side as the view came into focus. He saw... Minato. And Kushina. Minato was holding him in his arms, looking as though he had just gotten out of a fight, and panting slightly. He looked to his left to see his mother with them, looking just as war torn as she was before. He also noticed the warm and gentle touch of her hand on his forehead.

His hearing was faint at the moment; he saw as his mother spoke to herself, and read her lips, as to him she spoke: "My chakra is almost all gone... I only have so much time."

Suddenly, he saw as chains of chakra erupted from her back, not making a hole in her body as they phased out and started to fly upwards. Naruto followed the chains to see them wrap around their target: the Nine Tails! He was back! And it looked like the beast was once again going to be restrained as the chains wrapped around its giant frame, holding its face and body in place.

Naruto let out a small gasp, causing his mother to look to him and notice his presence. "Oh, Naruto. I'm sorry, honey, did I wake you?" she said gingerly.

Naruto wanted to respond, and even tried to reach out to her with his tiny hand, but his strength was too siphoned out but the pain he felt in his body.

"Naruto. Naruto, it's okay," he heard his father say, feeling his own hand grasp his. Minato set it on his chest and told Naruto to close his eyes. The little blonde was reluctant to obey, as he now did not care about his own body, and wanted to do something to prevent his parents from dieing. But, he soon felt the little strength he had left fade, and he fell back into a deep sleep.

Minato smiled at the sight of his son earning a moment of peace, but his smile faded as he heard Kushina grunt with pain as her chakra chains continued to hold on to the Nine Tails, who was struggling with all its might.

"M-Minato..." Kushina spoke.

"Kushina?" answered Minato.

The Uzumaki matriarch looked to her husband with a weak smile. "I'm going drag this demon back inside with me. It's the only way to keep you both safe, and to save the village..." she breathed in and out, and let the glimmer of her eyes fade out as she closed them and smile. "Minato, I love you. So much. Thank you for everything you've done."

Minato felt his heart clench as his wife seemed to give up on her life before him.

"Kushina, wait!" he said, putting a hand on her shoulder. His eyes narrowed as he felt the dire straights of their situation wash over him, and spoke from his heart. "You... you've let me become your husband... you've let me become the Fourth Hokage... and you've let me become Naruto's father. I..."

"No need to be sad, my love," Kushina said. "I'm happy. I'm happy that we've been able to be a family for so long, and I'm happy that it's our son's birthday. I just wish that, maybe, we could all just let this go away... and then we could watch Naruto grow up together. I'd... like that so much..." Kushina actually felt some tears fall down her face, with Minato doing the same.

Minato let his tears flow as he shut his eyes and bit back every single feeling of fear and unknowing he had. He was the Fourth Hokage. His wife and his village were giving their lives to stop the Fox. It had already turned the village into rubble. He thought about all the citizens and ninja that got caught in the crossfires of the attack. Hiruzen, Kakashi...

Minato let go of Naruto and set his head gently on the ground and decided on one final action. He stood up and bore the tone of the Hokage.

"Kushina... you don't need to die with the Nine Tails. We have one last chance. One last option."

Kushina looked up with surprised eyes as she watched Minato wipe away the last of the weakness and his eyes turn misty and full of courage.

"I'll seal the last of your chakra within Naruto with the Eight Trigrams Seal. Then, I'll use another seal to lure away the Fox: the Reaper Death Seal."

"What?! But... but you'll-!"

"I'll only to be able to seal half of the Nine Tails' power. Sealing it all together is too great a task, and completely impossible. I can't let the Nine Tails run free without a jinchuriki... one half of its power will be sealed inside me. The other half," his eyes darted to the small boy on the ground,"will go into Naruto!"

Kushina gasped once more. She tried to speak, but...

"I know what you want to say, Kushina," interrupted Minato, "But don't you remember Jiraiya-Sensei's story?" He bent down on one knee as he put one hand on Naruto's stomach. "The shinobi world, full of hate and war, will be saved by one single man... the Mask represents that hatred, and the disaster that befalls our world. And Naruto... Naruto will be the hero who defeats him. I just know it. Our son is going to be a hero!"

Without another word, Minato stood back up and flashed through several hand signs, Kushina trying to protest one more time, but as he completed the jutsu, the Reaper Death Seal, a giant shinigami like ghost appeared behind him as he proclaimed: "Have some faith! He's our boy!"

The plan went into action. Kushina's mouth started to fill with blood as it poured out and Minato stood with his Reaper behind him.

"Once I finish the seal, I'll put your chakra into Naruto. And don't worry; Naruto will grow up fast, and you can see him again, and you'll help him take control of the Nine Tails' power."

"But, Minato," Kushina found the will to speak once again, "don't you understand? It's that exactly why I don't want him to bear this burden!"

Minato's face grew sad as he looked at Kushina and then Naruto, as she continued on: "I was willing to sacrifice my life so that you could stay alive and raise Naruto... but... if you use the Reaper Death Seal, he'll be all alone. He needs you, Minato! I don't want you to die just so I can see him for a moment when he's all grown up!"

Minato's fist tightened as he looked at the ground.

"Why are you doing all of this? The sacrifices for Naruto, our village, and for me?! Minato, don't you realize what you're doing?!"

Minato paused... then raised his head. "Kushina... if I turn my back on the Leaf... it would just be as bad as leaving Naruto by himself," he replied, full of grit. "You know this to be true, my wife. Your village, the Hidden Eddy, was destroyed. You had to grow up alone and without a home. And you do understand that we are a family... a family of shinobi!" he put great emphasis on the last word he spoke, causing Kushina to narrow her eyes and grit her teeth under her lips.

"And besides... I could never replace you, Kushina. I love you."

Kushina felt her heart clench just as Minato felt his own heart clench before.

"And now... there are things you have to say to Naruto, things that only you as his mother can say. Don't just do it for yourself. Do it for him, too!" He once again crouched and picked up Naruto. "That's your job. My job... is to die, so he can have a better life." He stroked Naruto's hair and gave him a kiss on his forehead. Setting him down, he sighed as his son continued to slumber. "Let me at least say that I'm sorry... I said that today would be the greatest day of your life. I lied... please forgive me someday, my son."

With that, Minato stood up once more as the jutsu he cast went into motion: the Reaper's right arm bore black markings as it shot out through Minato's chest and onto the struggling Nine Tails.

"Sealing Jutsu: Reaper Death Seal!"

The Nine Tails gave out a mighty roar as it felt is life force being sucked out of it and traveled over to Minato, who felt pain upon his own impact as the chakra poured into him.

Panting, the Fourth Hokage felt his body go numb as the seal now lay on his exposed and damaged stomach. _This chakra... so powerful... _he thought with bated breath.

The Nine Tails started to squirm in his chains even more so, feeling enraged at being robbed of his chakra. Meanwhile, Minato summoned a bed and took Naruto's sleeping frame and put him in it. "Now, I'll seal the Fox into Naruto," he proclaimed.

The Nine Tails recognized the bed Minato summoned. _It's the ceremonial throne!_ It raged in its mind. _That damned Minato is going to reseal me in that brat! _The Nine Tails could not let that happen. It used its massive strength to give one of its claws leeway enough to load back into the air. The chains holding him down flexed out as it prepared to slam its claw near the Namikaze-Uzumaki family.

Minato saw the claw coming and put himself in front of Naruto. Kushina felt a surge of energy as she got to her feet and dashed towards Minato.

"Kushina!"

"Minato!"

SPLURCH!

One single nail from the giant Fox demon was drove through the bodies of Minato and Kushina. Minato held on to Kushina as she held on to the nail. Each parent felt only the nail piercing their bodies to be the force that kept them standing as they felt blood pour out both their mouths, as their child lay before them, unharmed and still in slumber.

Kushina, her back against Minato, said, "If your job is to do this... then whatever you can do, I can do better. and besides... this is the first time you've beaten me in an argument... and I understand why... I... I believe in you, Minato."

Minato chuckled. "Thank you, Kushina." He took one arm wrapped around her shoulders and drew some blood from his finger and wiped it on a scroll.

"Summoning Jutsu!" he cried, as his thrust his hand to the side and summoned a toad that sat in a crouching stance and appeared through a cloud of smoke.

It cried out in fear as it saw the Nine Tails, and even more so as he saw his master bloodied and beaten. "Lord Fourth, what happened?!" it cried.

"Never mind that, Gamatora. Here, take this key to Master Jiraiya. Tell him to store it somewhere safe," commanded the Hokage, tossing the scroll to Gamatora, who heeded his master's command and disappeared in another cloud of smoke.

Minato sighed. He moved one hand on Kushina's back and the other into a seal, and transferred her and his chakra into the Death Seal. "Okay... it's done," he felt the shinigami ghost behind him hold the figments of his and the Nine Tails' souls in its grasp, ready to slice at them and end their lives. He hugged Kushina tighter and whispered in her ear. "If you have anything to say to Naruto, please, say it now. I'm going to perform the Eight Trigrams Seal, and seal the rest of my chakra into him, as well."

Kushina swallowed hard. "Okay... I will... but Minato, there's something I want to tell you, first."

"And why's that?"

Kushina steeled herself. "I... I used the Rasengan."

"What?"

"I used the Rasengan... I taught to myself behind your back. I'm sorry."

Minato laughed. "It's alright."

Kushina flinched. "Really?"

"Yes. I understand why. In fact, I've known for a long time."

Kushina's eyes widened at this truth. "But don't worry about that. Just say what you need to say to Naruto."

"R-right... N-Naruto...", she began.

Minato listened in as Kushina told him to do things that only a mother would tell him, things like eating healthy and cleaning and making new friends and staying friends with Sasuke and finding a girl. She even told him about the three vices of shinobi, and to remember everything that she and Minato taught him, and even laughed when she warned him about Jiraiya. He smiled as he felt every word escape Kushina's mouth with love and tenderness even as she was at the verge of death.

"Naruto, please..." she said lastly, "please understand that.. that things are going to be hard for you. But its okay. As long you believe in yourself, and as long as you have a dream and you never stop trying to make it come true... it'll... it'll be okay," she started to sob. All of it was becoming too much for her to take. This really was the end.

"I... I want to tell you so much more... I want to see you grow up, and I want to be with you... I... I love you, Naruto. I love you so much," she paused as she sobbed some more, and finished, "I'm sorry, Minato. I didn't let you say anything. Naruto... you're father wants to talk to you, too." She let her head droop down as she continued to cry, and her left hand fell as well. She felt Minato's arm shift and his own hand fall as well. Their fingers knocked together until they grasped each other tight.

Minato smiled. "Naruto... all I want to tell you is... to listen to your chatterbox mother..."

Both the Hokage and the kunochi could not speak anymore to their son. Minato let the last words come out.

"Eight Trigrams Seal."

In the midst of his sleep... Naruto smiled, feeling love radiate upon him in his dreams.

And just like that, it all vanished. The Reaper cut the soul of Minato Namikaze and sealed the monstrous Nine Tailed Demon Fox into Naruto. The ghost disappeared, and so did the demon. Minato and Kushina felt that they only had seconds left on this earth. As their child lay on his bed, Minato and Kushina took one last look at his sleeping form, and smiled brightly.

She turned her head, and allowed him to look into her dark blue eyes one last time, as he looked at her with his light blue eyes.

She spoke her last words: "I'm blessed... that I can at least die in your arms. I... love you, Minato." She smiled.

Minato spoke his last words. "I... I love you, too. Thank you." He smiled.

They pulled forward, and kissed away their last breaths.

Pulling back, their souls had finally reached the other side. Minato fell back and landed with a thud, Kushina still cradled with him. They never let go of each others hands. And they died together.

It was all over now. Naruto Uzumaki's six birthday party has ended.

And so has his family.

But not the true suffering that the Mask vowed the boy to feel. That was still to come...

* * *

Once again, he felt the world wash over into his eardrums, picking up at a slow rate, and then increasing in sound.

He shot up, realizing he was sweating.

Naruto tried to catch his breath as he realized he was in a hospital room, laying in a nice comfortable bed and bandages wrapped around his head. He clutched at his tiny brain as he tried to remember why and how he got there.

He then remembered. _That masked man! The Nine Tails! Momma! Daddy!_

He slowly turned his head to his right, to the open window that bathed him in the warm light of a fresh new morning in the Hidden Leaf Village. He heard the sounds of birds chirping, and surprisingly, hammers and nails, probably due to the needed reconstruction of the village. He then felt a sort of rumbling in his stomach, and turned his attention to that. It was almost like he had something in his body... something he couldn't describe...

Then, Naruto heard a creak coming from the other side of the room, and he turned to see Hiruzen Sarutobi walk in, his Hokage robes in place, as well as his hat. He had to shed these cloaks in order to help fight against the Nine Tails last night, even battling the demon itself and watching Minato and Kushina give their lives to defeat it. And that information alone is why he wore a solemn frown, looking upon the boy who he know must look upon as an orphan.

"Naruto. You're awake," he said, trying to sound cheery as he strode across the room.

"L-Lord Hokage?" Naruto asked, his voice dry. "Why am I here?"

"You were hurt, Naruto, so I had the medical-nin take you here to get better," replied Hiruzen, hoping that that single question alone is all that Naruto would ask.

But: "Lord Hokage, where are my Momma and Daddy?"

Hiruzen felt a surge in his chest, but only flinched so much at the horrible question Naruto asked, and the horrible answer he would have to give. He looked upon Naruto's innocent and gleaming blue eyes, feeling all the more remorseful.

"Naruto..." he began... "They..." he stopped. He wanted the silence to give him the answer as he lowered his head in grief.

Naruto's eyes widened, as he could feel the answer coming to him the way Hiruzen wanted it to. His hands began to shake.

"N-no..." he began. "They're not... they're not..."

He clutched the sheets of his bed, as if they were his last hope to wiping out the final answer he knew was true, but even as his heart could only hope to see it as a lie. His eyes began to fill with tears.

"Momma... Daddy... " his hands relaxed, and his tears fell. His heart gave out and he let the truth drive into him like a stake.

His parents were dead.

He slapped his hands on his eyes and he cried out silently, and sobbed and sobbed and sobbed. He had no one now. He was alone. He failed. He failed both of them.

Hiruzen wanted to cry as well. But his strength and his will as the Hokage told him not to. He simply walked to Naruto's side and put on a hand on his shoulder, hoping he would feel some comfort in his grasp.

Naruto just kept crying.

* * *

The funeral was short. All the members of the Leaf gathered in the center of the village to honor the memory of Minato Namikaze, The Fourth Hokage, and Kushina Uzumaki, one of the greatest kunochi of the Hidden Leaf. They all dressed accordingly, dark clothes made for this type of gathering worn with regret for the fallen. The sky was dark, and rainclouds appeared over the heads of the villagers, and like them, the sky cried tears of sorrow, as some of the citizens cried along with them. The ninja wore expressions of sorrow, but kept their tears inside, as they knew that this, death, was just another part in the cycle of the shinobi life.

Sasuke Uchiha stood with his family, as Fugaku and Mikoto wore their sorrowful expressions and grieved mentally for their fallen friends. They wished they could have been in the village to help. Itachi, next to Sasuke, held his little brother's hand, as he took an expression of sorrow himself, while Sasuke did the same, looking down on the ground as the rain plopped against the stone. Sasuke moved his head to see Naruto, standing next to the Hokage, surrounded by ANBU and other high ranking ninja. He saw as Naruto was the only boy considered to be ninja that was crying. He did not blame him, and neither did anyone else. They were his parents. No barrier should have to shield that kind of loss. Naruto gripped Hiruzen's hand and his other hand hid his face, now covered with his pain and his sadness. He watched as the Leaf all payed their respects and lay a bouquet of flowers on his parents graves. He wished that it did not have to happen. He blamed himself.

* * *

The following day, the bodies were buried in a special place outside the forest. The Third Hokage ordered that their bodies be place there for the sake of Naruto.

They were placed outside the village, in the forest, where the light shined down ever so brightly on the two tombstones that were marked against the trees. They were in the same place that Minato's safe house was, as the building had been destroyed during the Nine Tails' rampage. Just like the ninja who gave their lives to contain it. And just like Naruto's family.

The boy sat near the tombstones, gazing at their markings with somber eyes. He had spent nearly an hour by their graves. He was given this spot so that the villagers could allow Naruto to grieve in private, and also to keep the secrecy that Minato used to protect the village from outside villages intact. Even so, he still felt jaded. He still blamed himself.

His head sunk into his knees as he felt like he would cry again. But before he could, he felt something touch his head...

He froze, and when he turned around he looked to see an ANBU looking ninja gently resting his hand on his blonde, spiky locks.

"Who are you?" he asked with a breaking tone.

"Hello, Naruto. My name is Kakashi," answered the ninja, his face hidden by a mask.

"K-Kakashi?"

"That's right."

Naruto turned back to the tombstones, not really wanting to make conversation with anyone at that time. Kakashi understood his pain, and simply crouched down next him, with Naruto's now shiny-from-tears blue orbs linking with Kakashi's single, lazy-looking orb to the graves of their fallen family members and close friends and teachers.

The wind blew through the clearing, as though someone need to say something. Kakashi took the signal and looked to Naruto.

"It's not your fault."

"Huh?" Naruto replied, looking back at his father's student.

"Don't blame yourself for their deaths. It's part of who they are. Who _we _are."

While that was the truth, Naruto was too young to understand what he meant, and instead felt even more guilt build inside of him as both his head and hair drooped downward.

Kakashi realized his mistake, and decided to enlighten Naruto in a different way. "You know why they did it, right?"

Naruto slowly shook his head "yes". "So that... they could protect the village."

"That's right. And, of course, they did it to protect you. Because they loved you, Naruto."

"I... I know," he croaked out, then raised his head. "But, but, none of this would have happened if I wasn't such a baby. I let Momma and Daddy die," he wiped his nose with his hand," And-and I didn't protect Momma liked Daddy told me, too."

Kakashi looked back to the tombstone. "You don't have to worry. I knew your father well enough to know that he truly didn't want to give you a burden like that. That's why he gave his life to protect your mother, and how they both gave their lives to protect you."

"Really? So... it's okay then?"

Kakashi chuckled and ruffled Naruto's hair. "Yeah. It is."

Naruto felt some comfort in hearing Kakashi's words. He was starting to understand why it all had to happen.

"Naruto, your parents loved you very much, and they wanted you to be happy. They also want you to make them proud. Do you know what you can do to make that so?"

"No. How?"

Kakashi eye-smiled. "By following your dream. Become what you've always wanted to be."

Naruto's eyes glistened. He found a new understanding and it flowed in him better than the last one.

"Do you have a dream, Naruto?"

Naruto slowly smiled and nodded. "Yep. I want to be the Hokage. I wanna be better than my Daddy was, and be really, really strong and protect the village."

"Well, Naruto, all you have to do to make them happy is to follow your dream, and never give up on yourself. If you do that, then you'll be just fine."

"Is that all I have to do?"

"That's right. And remember this too: always look to the future and don't hold regrets to the past. Accept it, and move on. I promise you, Naruto. If you do this, you'll be the greatest Hokage ever. And you'll make your parents proud."

Naruto found his gloominess rise and be replaced with brightness. He got it now. He understood and he felt reassured. He eye-smiled to Kakashi and he ruffled his hair some more.

"Okay! I got it! I'll make my dream come true! And make Momma and Daddy real proud! Believe it! I'll always move forward, too!" he proclaimed, laughing into his old self once more.

Kakashi looked up to the sky as Naruto continued to laugh, and gazed upon the birds flying across the morning sky. _Sensei, Kushina, looks like we were both right. This boy will be a hero, and a great shinobi. I'll do my best to look over him, and make sure he becomes a great shinobi. Oh, and, thanks by the way, for having him. The village thanks you both. We'll always think of Naruto as a hero... no matter what._

* * *

**AN: Wow, what a doozy. That's the longest flippin' chapter I've written for this story so far. lol Geez, three chapters and we just now got past the Nine Tails attack. Don't worry, the Prolouge Saga won't last too much longer. We're moving along. :)**

**- Read And Review, Firaga96**

**P.S. Tell me how you thought of Kushina actually fighting the Mask Man and how you thought her moveset was. :)**


	4. Because Of My Dream

NARUTO:

IRON BONDS

Disclaimer: The following is a non-profit, fan-based fanfiction. Naruto and Naruto: Shipudden are owned by Viz Media, Shouen Jump, TV Tokyo, and Mashashi Kishimoto. Please support the official release.

* * *

Prologue Saga | IV: Because Of My Dream

* * *

What Kakashi said to Naruto that day may have been nice to hear, and from what had happened, it would seem that it would be the truth. However, the gray haired ANBU had lied.

Post attack, the Hidden Leaf Village worked to rebuild itself, to erase the damage done by the Nine Tails. They also tried to erase the memory of the Fox altogether. But soon, they realized just how terrified they all were of the Demon, and how angry it made them to just think about how many innocent lives destroyed, some of them their family or friends.

They did not know the truth of the Nine Tails attack, or at least to its fullest. They knew that the only survivor from when the Fourth Hokage and Kushina Uzumaki took on the Fox was their only son, Naruto. They knew that Minato had sealed the beast inside Naruto in order to save them all. But only the Third Hokage knew truly why, and Kakashi as well.

The villagers did not. They started to change... before, they would always treat the son of the Fourth Hokage with respect, and admire his innocent yet brash drive to be the Hokage like his father before him. Though, one day, Naruto started to notice the change in all of them, because of their inability to see the truth...

A few days after the Attack, with the villagers still hammering nails and moving lumber, and the ninja doing what they could while still performing their duties, little Sasuke Uchiha decided to go to Naruto's house. The young blonde was left alone, so the Third Hokage had arranged for him to have an apartment to himself, while, of course, keeping an special eye on the boy, it being so close to the Ninja Academy and the Hokage's Office.

Sasuke walked his tiny legs up the long steps and around the bend to the front door of Naruto's new home. Rapping on the door, he called for his blonde best friend:

"Naruto! Naruto, wake up! It's time to head out! We were gonna play today, remember?!"

"Hold on, I'll be right there!" Naruto called back, sounding like he was finishing up a bowl of ramen for breakfast. Figures.

Sasuke waited for a couple of minutes, sort of questioning why Naruto had to live by himself now, and then the boy himself swung the door open, wearing the black shirt he got for his birthday.

"Heya, Sasuke! I'm ready to go! Believe it!" he chirped, already running out into the village before Sasuke could reply. He was acting like his parents _didn't_ die just days ago.

"Hey, wait for me!" Sasuke shouted, trying his best to keep up the energized Naruto. "Gr, does he ever slow down?" he grumbled to himself.

Soon enough, Naruto eventually had lessened his pace to a calm walk, fitting for the raven haired boy by his side, as they made a stroll through the village. Even though the boys made plans to play with each other, they didn't really know what they could do. Every idea they came up with had been done to death: racing around the village, going to the forest and collecting paw prints with Itachi, going to Icharaku Ramen, as it was closed at that time... they actually let out bored sighs as the two walked about the village.

"Gee, I didn't think today would be so boring," admitted Sasuke.

"Aw, come on, I bet we can find something cool to do," replied Naruto, hands behind his head. A moment later, and his eyes widened in realization."Hey, I just got an idea!"

"What?"

"I saw these really cool lookin goggles at this one shop. I wanna buy 'em, cuz I couldn't the other day! Plus, there's a bunch of other cool stuff too!"

"Really? How come you couldn't buy them the last time?" asked Sasuke, smiling yet raising an eyebrow.

"Oh, uh..." Naruto giggled, pulling out the little frog wallet he got on his birthday and looking into its sewn on eyes with affection. "That's cuz little Froggy here was a bit too skinny that time around." He nuzzled the frog by his whiskered cheek, squeezing its chubby body filled with ryo. "But he's all full now! He-he!" The only reason a kid like Naruto would have money to spend, of course, would be because of Hiruzen.

Naruto laughed and continued to nuzzle the wallet as Sasuke stifled a giggle. He would of reprimanded Naruto for treating his wallet like a pet, but then again, he got the wallet from his mother, so he couldn't make fun of something that was probably like a lasting memory of her. He just went along with it, though he still thought it was a little silly.

"So, where is this store anyway?"

"Oh! It's just up ahead!" Naruto pointed an excited finger at a booth near the end of the street. Naruto pocketed "Froggy" and raced over, Sasuke on his heels.

Little Naruto and Sasuke gazed at all the treasures the shop had to offer; though small in size and comparable to someone's tool shed, like the other shops in the village, it still had some nice looking things filling its spaces.

"Wow, you were right. There _are_ some cool things here." Sasuke said. While Naruto ran over to the right stand of the store, eying the green goggles he mentioned earlier, he went to the left, looking at some stuffed animals that caught his attention, more specifically, a hawk and a snake. There was also a crow, which Sasuke took the most liking to, though kind of scary compared to even the snake, who had its tongue sticking out.

Naruto, meanwhile, had to stand on tiptoe to at least touch the goggles that he wanted so badly. _Aw, they're so cool. I gotta get 'em! _Naruto thought, now hopping up and down as he tried to graze the black lenses, his fingers just managing to make contact.

Naruto soon gave up and pouted to himself at not being tall enough to reach the goggles.

"Ah, I'll ask the salesman to get 'em for me," he said out loud, seeing it as only fair. He then pulled out his wallet again and grew more excited at buying his new set of gear.

"Just a little longer, Froggy," Naruto cooed, once again staring into its eyes, meanwhile the Uchiha a few feet from him was rolling his eyes.

On cue, in walked in the shop owner from the backdoor of the shop. He had slipped away for just a minute to check on the inventory in the back, and now was returning to see two new customers in his shop. The middle aged man with brown hair smiled at seeing Sasuke Uchiha in his shop, as his reputation never failed to follow him.

"Well, hello there Mr. Uchiha. How goes things?" he asked, Sasuke turning his head from the animals and giving the man a polite smile.

"Oh, I'm fine, thank you," he said, blushing a little at the "Mister" title. He was always did that when it came to the casual praise of the villagers, being so modest as he was.

"Hey, mister? Mind givin' me a hand? I can't reach these!"

The shop owner didn't notice Naruto at first because the short blonde was blocked from his view from his cash register. Moving to the left and raising an eyebrow, the man saw the blonde giving him a cheeky smile and pointing at the high shelf above him.

Then, something unexpected had happened; the man's eyes went from the kind and acknowledging type that he showed to "Mr. Uchiha"... from ones filled with fear. No, something else than fear, something else mixed in. It was anger. Anger and spite.

The shop owner grabbed the broom next to him as he went behind his counter and marched toward the blonde, who had his innocent eyes fixated on the goggles above him. He turned only seconds after the man got close to him, immediately becoming confused at the angry look he bore.

"You alright, Old Man?" Naruto tried to ask, but before his could finish his sentence, the shop owner took one arm and shoved Naruto back on his butt and out of the store, out on the dirt road of the village nearby. Several villagers near the area began to gather around him, as if they were now going to partake in some kind of show. Sasuke whipped his head around to see his best friend sitting on the ground and the shop owner standing over him.

"Hey, what was that for?! What'd I do"!" Naruto yelled back at the shop owner, now offended yet angered.

"You!" the shop owner yelled, pointing a finger of malice at Naruto. "Stay away from my property, you little freak!"

Naruto's eyes instantly lost their innocence and now bore a hurt expression. A freak? Why was he calling him a freak? Sasuke, wearing a shocked expression, immediately stood to his feet and walked towards the man, stopping when Naruto tried to say something else:

"Huh? A freak? Why'd you say th-"

"Shut your mouth!" the man scowled, gripping his broom with both hands and swinging at Naruto's head. The little blonde was just quick enough to scoot back and avoid the blow, putting his arms up in defense.

"I don't ever want to see you around here again! Got that?!" the shop owner barked as he tried to hit Naruto with his broom once more; thankfully Naruto dodged once more, his little head clutched in his hands as he ducked down.

"Hey, stop that!" Sasuke cried, running up and taking the space between Naruto and the broom wielding man. "Why are you doing that? He never did anything bad to you, did he?"

The shop owner relaxed in his rage as he couldn't upset one of the Uchiha. He loosened his grip on the broom and set to his side.

More calmly, he spoke: "Sasuke, I would be more careful about who you hang around with."

"W-what do you mean?"

"What I mean is," the man once again pointed at Naruto, emitting disgust though his calloused finger. "That _thing_ is a menace to our village. He can't be trusted. He could kill us all at any moment!"

Sasuke was absolutely flabbergasted, as he and Naruto started to look around their surroundings and see the other villagers staring at the blonde with whiskers on his cheeks.

Their gazes cut through Naruto like glass; eyes that were cold and unwelcoming, as if their gazes alone were enough to make Naruto feel rejection just from looking into them. Some were more afraid than hateful, but they still held the same kind of feeling that would make a person feel unwanted.

And he did. Naruto moved his head from side to side as the icy glares kept coming. He was surrounded by so many people, but for maybe the first time in his life, he felt truly alone. Even with Sasuke right in front of him, growing more dumbfounded at how the villagers were expressing such disdain for his best buddy, he still felt that loneliness.

Naruto's eyes began to glisten as he felt the glares dig even deeper into him, and even more so as the shop owner caught his eyes once more, his grip on his broom coming back, as well as the scowl he wore for Naruto.

"W-why?" Naruto squeaked out. "What did I do wrong?"

The shop owner stepped forward. "You were_ born_! Born to give us even more heartache than the night all of our loved ones were taken from us because of that-" the man stopped his bark mid sentence as he looked away, his malice directed at the other side of the street.

Naruto grew even more confused and hurt as the man looked back and shouted: "Listen, brat! If I ever see you near my property again, I will send you back to whatever circle of Hell that you spawned from! Now beat it!"

With that, Naruto let all of the hurt become known in himself. He stood up and could not speak a word toward the villagers, just standing their with his mouth open in sorrow; their eyes just continued to burn in negative emotions into his young, innocent body. He couldn't take it. His eyes filled with tears as he looked away from them all and rubbed his eyes with his forearm.

_Why's everybody looking at me? What did I do wrong? Am I... am I a bad person? I..._

"Didn't you hear what I said?!" the shop owner was furious now, walking up to Naruto and gripping the collar of his black shirt, lifting him off his feet. Naruto felt like his eyes would pop out their sockets as the man held him in the air, hurting his neck, and still hurting his innocence as he and the other villagers glared directly at him. The tears kept flowing as they plopped down to the dirt below. Sasuke wanted to move, but, the audacity of it all was too great.

"I said GET OUT OF HERE!" The shop owner roared in Naruto's face, throwing the boy to the side. Naruto landed on his face, bouncing a little as the villagers just stood and watched his tiny body hit the ground. Naruto felt no other option at that time, then to just go and do what the man said.

With tears streaming down his cheeks, the abused little boy ran down the paths of the village, keeping his head down so that no one could see his pain wretched face.

"N-Naruto!" Sasuke called, watching as his best friend broke away from the villagers who still continued to give him evil eyes, even the ones lining the street he ran down.

"Tch. Good riddance," mumbled the shop owner, as he and the other villagers dispersed, mumbling similar remarks as they did. Sasuke just pinned a glare to the old man's back, before running off in Naruto's direction to see if he could find his jaded friend.

"Naruto?! Naruto, where are you?" The Uchiha boy called once, twice more. The village was brewing with other citizens and ninja, but no Naruto in sight. Sasuke whirled his head to his sides to try and scope the blonde out, but to no luck. After running down the paths and turning some corners, even checking the Icharaku Ramen shop as he passed, it seemed that Naruto had disappeared entirely. Sasuke even went back to Naruto's apartment, but still, the Uzumaki boy was no where in sight, his front door locked and his presence nowhere to be seen or heard.

Sasuke could not do anything but to let Naruto be. Saddened, he trudged back to his house. The next day, Naruto had gotten over the harsh words, and he looked like he would revert back to his old self and forget all about it. However, he had to deal with more hatred and more glares and more yelling the very next day.

In short time, Naruto had realized that the entire village had turned on him. There was no one in the village that would even pay Naruto the time of day anymore. Well, except for a few. Sasuke stood by his side all the way, as he could not begin to understand this dilemma. The Third Hokage was aware of it all, and greatly disagreed with the harshness of his people. However, Hiruzen was still human, and could not convince every single person in the village to right their wrongs with a wave of his hand, plus having to bear the responsibility of a Hokage limited his involvement as well, not being able to focus his attention on one boy and leave the rest of the village without guidance.

Fugaku and Mikoto Uchiha certainly did not agree with the others. They had grown supportive of Naruto due to his many years of being friends with their son, and their own years as being friends to his parents. Mikoto even asked Hiruzen if she and Fugaku could adopt Naruto as their son, so that he could be assured of a loving home for himself. However, developments in the Uchiha Clan did not allow this, passed by Hiruzen and the Leaf's Civilian Council. The Clan itself were now part of their own circle in the village, separated from the village itself. The area was deemed to house Uchiha only, so the boy of both Uzumaki and Namikaze descent did not belong.

And even Teuchi and Ayame Icharaku were on Naruto's side; the little boy was still allowed to visit their shop, receiving the same warmness he always got from the ramen maker and daughter. The two would always get criticism, of course, from passing idiots on the street, shaming them for serving the "demon". But they ignored them. And in his own mind, Teuchi wanted so bad to adopt Naruto as well. Alas, he was too old, and could not.

A couple of months passed since that day at the shop and Naruto had learned first hand his true status in the village. He was no longer the son of the Fourth Hokage, no longer allowed respect because of his name alone. He was hated, feared, and deemed worthless and despicable as both a future ninja as well as a person. Even those who he could call his surrogate family could not help him retract from the state he was sinking into. They just couldn't replace Minato and Kushina in his heart; it just wasn't so. And one day, Naruto felt that this tragedy would push him to the edge...

* * *

It was a rainy day. Naruto was at Sasuke's house. He and the raven-haired boy had just finished going on a trip with Itachi, who, of course, was against Naruto's harsh treatment as well. The two boys were playing in Sasuke's room, messing around with Sasuke's toys, without a care in the world. Naruto's spirit to be positive and bright still shined even as he accepted the grief his life now carried...

Then, in an instant, thunder was heard. The two boys jumped a little, at how loud the bolt of thunder hit the ground outside. Naruto and Sasuke gazed out Sasuke's window to see the thousands of rain drops hit the ground and the sky turning a deep gray.

"Wow... it's getting really bad out there," said Sasuke, sounding worried.

"Yeah... _sounds_ really bad, too," added Naruto.

Just then, Mikoto poked her head out the doorway of her son's room, looking at the two boys as they continued to gaze out the window.

"Sasuke, your dinner's ready. Come eat, son," she called.

"Mother?" Sasuke asked, turning his head from the windowpane. "Can Naruto stay with us tonight?"

Slowly, Mikoto's small motherly smile deteriorated, as she knew the disappointing answer to his question: "No. No, I'm afraid he can't."

"But, why not, Mrs. Uchiha?" asked Naruto, his innocent eyes pulling at Mikoto's heartstrings.

"Oh, Naruto, I would be more than glad for you to stay, but-"

"You know the rules of our dwelling," interrupted a stern voice behind Mikoto. Going to her side, Fugaku appeared in the doorway, arms crossed and nonsense absent from his tone and mood, as usual.

"Only the Uchiha can stay in this part of the village. The patrolling ANBU that come around here at night might punish you for being here."

Naruto sighed but nodded. He knew that he had to follow the rules, but inside, he was surprised at how Grandpa Hokage would order Sasuke's clan and family to be cooped up like they were. It didn't really seem like his doing...

"Alright. I'll go home now." Naruto said, standing up and making his way to the door.

"Fugaku, he's just a child," said Mikoto in a worried tone. "We can't send him out in the pouring rain. He'll catch cold, or even worse."

"You know as well as I do that this is how things have to be. You also know how wrong I think it all is, throwing our people into a bubble and blocking us off from the whole of the village. Still... this is law. We don't have a choice." Fugaku's words were laced with anger as he spoke. He then went and left, going to another part of the house, leaving Mikoto very saddened, as well as Naruto and Sasuke.

"Here, Naruto, let me at least give you a blanket," the Uchiha matriarch piped, walking away from Sasuke's door for a moment.

"Thanks, Mrs. Uchiha," replied Naruto, bowing a little as she walked out.

Sasuke got up and walked to Naruto's back, a little shaky in his stance. "You'll be okay out there, right?"

"Heh. Sure. A little rain didn't hurt anybody," Naruto shot back, grinning like a little fox. Sasuke grinned back, and his grin morphed into an eye-smile, Naruto's grin doing the same thing.

"Welp, see ya!" Naruto ran out of Sasuke's room, waving a little.

"Oh, um, bye." Sasuke called back, going back to the window to watch the rain.

Naruto met Mikoto at the front door to the house. There, Mikoto handed Naruto a dull white blanket lined with orange stripes. "Thank you again, Mrs. Uchiha," the little blonde said, wrapping the towel around himself.

"Of course, Naruto. And please, be okay out there."

"Sure! Believe it!" Naruto's flamboyance never failed; The Uchiha woman in front of him found her self welling up, seeing the little boy in front of her willing to go outside while a thunderstorm was in progress, without a care nor a hint of worry... even after all he has already gone through in his life so far. Dead parents, angry villagers, pain and misery... it clenched at Mikoto's heart to see a boy go through so much without a mother to comfort him...

She fell to her knees and hugged Naruto tight. "No matter what happens or what people say..." she sniffled, unable to hide her sadness. "You'll always be a part of this family. Don't ever forget that, Naruto."

Naruto felt so strange to see Sasuke's mother hugging him like she was, but could feel the reason why she was doing it moving through his ears and showing through her voice. He hugged her back, just as tightly.

"I will. Thanks," he replied, resting his head on her shoulder.

Mikoto rose to her knees, wiped her face, and allowed Naruto to walk out the front door. Waving to him as he left, and Naruto waving back, the Uchiha woman thanked her best friend in the heavens for having such a good boy.

The rain poured hard, plopping against the grounds of the Hidden Leaf Village and making puddles in the dirt below.

"Geez! 'When it rains, it pours' is nothing on this!" Naruto said to himself, hurriedly jogging through the onslaught of water falling from the heavens on the now mud filled streets of the Hidden Leaf Village. The blanket he had was thrown over his body and head, keeping them dry for the most part while his ankles and legs were feeling a bit soggy at having to run through so many puddles on the ground.

Another crack of thunder actually scared little Naruto out of his sandals. He almost slipped and fell, but managed to catch his balance before he could. Looking up at the gray and now blackening sky above, he decided to stick close to the walls of the buildings near by, just in case his small frame would present itself as a target to the thunder strikes above.

He first clung to the wall of a shop he had never been to before, pulling the hood he made from his blanket even more onto his head. He even managed to sit down, his butt making contact with wood frame instead of moist ground; the shop conveniently had a small roof over the front door, and a porch of some kind. Shivering, Naruto waited until maybe the rain would at least slow down before he continued on his way to his warm apartment.

However, Naruto shifted his focus to on the rain to the left side of his view, as a group of villagers swung open the door and made their way out, looking like fools as they chuckled and acted like clowns. Naruto had never seen this kind of behavior before, and watched as they began yelling out weird cries and joking about some joke one of them had said; Minato and Kushina weren't the heaviest drinkers, so Naruto was unaware of the effects of consuming alcohol to a great extent... he also didn't hang around bars too often, either.

"Hey! Hey, i-i-it's y-you! G-Guys, look who, who is it!" one of them shouted, noticing Naruto stare at him and his friends.

"Yeah, you're right! It's that kid! The monster!" another member said, pointing a finger at the now scared Naruto.

"How can you be sure?" a slightly more reasonable man asked, looking to the first speaker.

"Here, I'll show you," claimed the first man, gaining sobriety as he stumbled toward Naruto. The little blonde tried to run away, but the man's hand had already grasped the back of his collar right when he got to his feet.

"See, look at this!" the man turned Naruto around and ripped off his "hood", letting the rest of his gang confirm his identity.

"Blonde hair. Blue eyes. And those marks on his face!" confirmed the once unknowing drunk. "You're right! It _is_ him!"

"This is perfect! I bet if we rough this little ankle biter up, we'll get some respect from the rest of the village!" said the second man, balling his hands into fists. "Let's beat this kid into the ground!"

That was Naruto's cue to run. Run fast and far. And so he did.

Wiggling out of the tight hold of the first drunk, he fell to his knees before stumbling back up and running through the village once more, heart pounding and fear clouding his mind, clutching his blanket tight as if it were his last source of protection.

"Hey, get back here, you little punk!" yelled the man who had Naruto's collar. He and the rest of his friends started to chase Naruto through the village.

Naruto and the drunk men had a good game of cat and mouse as the Fourth Hokage's son whipped around every corner and bobbed and weaved through every obstacle that laid in his path. The men had several chances to grab Naruto but they either lost out by an inch from his neck or stumbled in their footing as they ran, avoiding objects in their paths just like the demon boy they were chasing.

Soon, Naruto turned around one last corner and into an alley. He managed to hide inside an old cardboard box that lay against the alley wall, curling himself into a ball so he could fit. The drunk men saw Naruto run into the alley, but when they scanned the place, all they saw was trash and darkness. No sign of the so called "demon" brat anywhere.

"Tch, dammit. We lost him," grumbled the leader.

"Ah, forget about it. That kid won't live much longer anyway," consoled one man.

"Yeah. With that kid's reputation, he'll be lucky to live another year!" joked the third man. Everybody got a kick out of that line, as the drunken idiots laughed about it all the way back to the bar.

Naruto stayed curled in his box for another moment, waiting to make sure that the coast was clear. Hearing the men's footsteps silence in his ears, he poked his spiky-haired head out, seeing no one in sight, no one but the rain that continued to pour.

The Fourth's son set into a frown, one of both sadness for being treated like dirt for the umpteenth time in his life, and also because of another reason: he had spent so much time being chased by those nimrods that he had no idea where he was now. The sky was dark enough to make even the lampposts on the street not bright enough to light someone's way, and it seemed the rain would pour down as hard and the thunder strike even harder as the night went on.

Naruto didn't have a choice. He curled back into his ball and slept through the harsh night, crying tears of sorrow as he did. He was sleeping not as a member of the Leaf tonight; he was sleeping like that of a homeless boy who had no parents nor anyone to care for him, forced to sleep on the streets like a common rat.

_I'm all by myself... and I'm scared... Momma... Daddy..._

* * *

Naruto's now dried eyes slowly opened, as the faint glow of a new morning lit up the cardboard he was sleeping in. Crawling out of his box, he rubbed his eyes, and then straightened his tiny spine, the condition of his dwelling for the night beyond uncomfortable.

Standing up, he dragged his blanket with him as he looked out at the village beyond the opening to the alley; the citizens and ninja went on like everything was normal, smiling to each other as they greeted one another, doing their duties for the village, and all the while did some of them stole hate-filled glares at the dirty and unwanted brat standing in the alleyway.

One of them was a parent who had her hand fastened to her son's hand, who looked about Naruto's age.

"Hey, Mom, who's that kid?" he asked, looking across his mother to see Naruto's somewhat absent gaze.

The boy's mother instantly went from a neutral expression to one of malice. "That's someone you need to stay away from," she looked down to her son,"He is a menace to this village. He's no good, and he never will be."

The mother then had the gall to launch a tiny ball of spit right on Naruto's face, making the sad orphan cringe as he wiped his right eye.

"You hear me, brat?! Go on and die like the worm that you are!" the woman screamed as she tugged her son along their path; the boy followed his scary mother's instructions and kept his eyes away from Naruto, ducking his head down as they filled with the same scorn as his mother's eyes had.

As Naruto felt the last of the spit clear from his skin, he gazed out once more at the villagers who hated him. He had no other thought in his mind at that moment then to fall back on his but and cry into his palms. Naruto was finally starting to feel the pressure of being so hated by his people to torture his fragile mind, feeling he would slip into a sad and depressed existence that would continue on until he died. Or maybe that drunk man was right; maybe he'd soon die in the next year.

_I want Momma back. I want Daddy back._ Naruto sobbed in his head. _It's not fair. I... I'm not a monster. I don't want to feel like this anymore... _his thoughts stopped as he continued to sob in the alley. And while he did, no one in the Leaf felt like consoling him or making him feel better. They all just kept glaring at him and ignoring him. Not even Sasuke or Hiruzen or the Icharakus appeared before him to save him from his sad existence. Everyone seemed to disappear from sight as the village was reduced to a ghost town, leaving Naruto in a very true sense of loneliness. Then...

"Naruto?"

The blonde stopped his crying and slowly blinked his eyes though salty tears as he traced the calling of his name to his front. His focus going into view, he saw the bottom of a green dress as well as feet strapped to faded purple sandals.

His eyes went wide as he trailed up the dress to see a white part at the top, and the woman wearing it also wearing a bracelet on her wrist and having long red hair flow down to the bottom of her back.

"Naruto, is that you?" the woman ask, bending down to be closer to Naruto's view. He instantly noticed her calm and beautiful face, her lips fastened into a warm and familiar smile.

"It _is_ you. Oh, I'm so glad I found you."

The little boy's lips struggled to speak her name as they twisted up in sad yet relieved angles.

The woman bent down on her knees and outstretched her arms to Naruto. "Well, come here, honey. No need to be scared anymore."

Finally, he mustered out a soft, anguished cry: "M-Momma!"

He jumped to his feet and ran at Kushina, jumping into her arms as she caught him. He sobbed and sobbed into her chest as she held him close. "Momma... I never thought that I would see you again."

"Ssh... it's okay, it's okay. I'm here now. Oh, we were so worried about you, honey," Kushina said with relief in her own voice.

"W-we?" Naruto questioned, his answer to who the person Kushina was referring to being answered to a shaggy blonde man wearing a ninja outfit and a white coat appearing at Kushina's side.

"There you are, son. It's been a little while, hasn't it?" Minato said, his own fatherly smile gracing his face. "I'm glad to see you again... my son," he bent down just as Kushina did and outstretched his arms the same, as well.

"Daddy! You're here!" Naruto then jumped into Minato's arms as he hugged his father just as tight as his mother. Minato ruffled Naruto's hair and then rested his hand on his shoulder. Naruto let the last of his sorrow pour out as his smile returned, beaming out at both Kushina and Minato as he looked at them both as he tore away from Minato's embrace.

"But I thought... I thought you guys were dead," he blurted, now pondering how all of this was possible.

"Dead? We're not dead, Naruto. We're right here with you," said Minato.

"We're always with you. No matter what," Kushina added.

"So you don't have to worry about how things are anymore, alright?"

Naruto frowned once more. "But, how? I mean, everyone in the village thinks I'm a monster or something." Soon, he felt tears started to fall from his eyes once more.

"Everyone? Well, we don't think that. And what about Sasuke? Or his family, or the Icharakus and Lord Hokage? They don't think you're a monster, do they?"

"Uh... well... no." Naruto admitted.

"See? Now, let's stop with those tears," the red-haired Uzumaki then said, taking her hand and wiping away Naruto's tears with her fingers. Kushina's smile drooped a little as she rested her hand on Naruto's cheek.

"Remember, Naruto: crying doesn't change anything. I know things seem hard now, but listen to your dad and cheer up. You always have people who care about you. And you can have more if you want, too."

"Really? I can?"

"Yes, Naruto," Minato said as he put a hand on Naruto's head. "Just believe in yourself, and work hard so that everyone sees what a great person you are. Do you still want to be a ninja, son?"

"R-right, yeah."

Minato smiled. "And you remember the things your mother and I have taught you?"

"Y-yeah! I got it all in my head! I really do!"

"Well, then... the rest is simple: you are going to have to prove yourself to the others that you are great. And their minds won't change quickly; you have to pour your heart into everything you do for as long as you breathe. I know it sounds tough, but... that's how people get respect, Naruto. They earn it."

"Earn it. Right. I'll work my butt off, I promise."

Minato once again ruffled his son's hair. "That's the spirit. Remember, son: anything is possible. Don't believe what the villagers say either. You're not a monster. You are Naruto Uzumaki. You're my son. Keep moving forward."

His words were reminiscent of the masked ANBU who visited Naruto the day after the Nine-Tails attack, words that had been forgotten until Minato had refreshed their meaning into Naruto's mind, a much more clearer meaning, and one that he could hold on to...

"And you're _my_ son, too, Naruto," Kushina added. "We love you very much. Never forget that."

Naruto felt like crying again, but instead his mouth widened into his trademark grin as his parents rose to their feet and admired his smiling form.

"Right! I'll do all of that stuff. And I'll always believe in myself. And..." His head lowered for a moment before he spoke again: "I love you guys, too."

Minato and Kushina smiled back to Naruto, as the little family let their warmth rub out any sense of doubt or sadness left in them.

Suddenly, though, the warm sun above them all started to fade away behind fluffy clouds, causing the world around them to go directly from morning to night.

"Oh, how touching," said a new voice, scaring Naruto and making his parents jump a little too. "But like I said all those years ago... it's too late."

SHANK!

Kushina's mouth went wide yet emitted no sound as she felt a painful sensation behind her. She dropped to her knees and fell to her side, revealing a kunai lodged in her spine as she bled out on the ground below.

"Momma!" Naruto cried.

"Kushina! No!" Minato cried, as well, but was stopped from further cries as he felt his own spine become stricken with pain. He too fell to his knees and fell on his face as the man responsible for his and Kushina's deaths appeared out of the darkness, clutching his blood soaked weapon.

Naruto was shaking and struck with absolute fear as he saw his parents literally be stabbed in the backs and then die. Again. Their bodies shriveled into dust as they disappeared from Naruto's tormented eyes. He couldn't stop blinking as he stood in fear, eventually losing his strength to stand as he fell back on his but again. He looked up and saw the killer as he knew would be the only person to do this to him again...

"Now, I shall do away with you like I did with your parents," the Mask cackled, raising his kunai again.

Naruto's mind was rushing through so many thoughts at one time; he was scared. Alone. Defenseless. He had no parents, no friends to help him. He closed his eyes as he felt die creep up at him as the Mask slowly crept up on him as well, kunai ready to be stabbed right on his head. In a twisted way, Naruto _wanted_ to die. After all, he would be free from his plight as a hated orphan of the Hidden Leaf. No more would he suffer the villager's wrath and be called names and spat on and ignored.

_But... what about the others? _He thought, thinking back to Minato's references to Sasuke and Hiruzen and such. _And... and my dream?_ He then thought to the words he told Kakashi:

_I want to be the Hokage. I wanna be better than my Daddy was, and be really, really strong and protect the village._

_I'll make my dream come true! And make Momma and Daddy real proud! Believe it! I'll always move forward, too!_

Move forward, move forward. That thought had stuck in his mind as he gained a sort of clarity in him.

_Keep moving forward, keep moving forward!_ Naruto said in his mind. _I have to keep moving forward!_

"Now I'll put an end to you, brat!" cried the Mask as he swung down the weapon and aiming for Naruto's head.

The blonde son of the Fourth Hokage, shot his head up and his blue eyes bore a new, confident spark. "No, you won't!"

He shot his arms out and caught the Mask's arm as the kunai lay only inches from the top of his head.

"What?! This isn't possible!" the Mask said, his one visible red eye going wide.

Naruto's expression was one of determination and anger as he stared down the Mask. "It _is_ possible. _Anything_ is possible," he said, grinning. "BELIEVE IT!"

He swung the Mask's arm down, causing the dark ninja to impact his own leg with his weapon.

"AGH! You damned brat!" he cried, stumbling back a few good feet and only able to sit on his good leg while he tried to pull the kunai out from his other one. He took his attention from his leg to gaze up and see Naruto running straight for him.

"What do you think you're doing, boy?!" yelled the Mask.

"I'm moving forward! I'll always move forward!" Naruto yelled back.

The blonde let out a battle cry as he jumped up in the air a few feet and cocked his right fist back, ready to unload on the Mask...

"And I'll never give up... I have a dream!"

SMASH!

His tiny fist made contact with the killer's face, cracking the mask deep. But just as soon as Naruto would touch back to the ground, a huge flash of light flooded the world around him...

"GAH!"

Naruto woke up in a cold sweat. He realized that he was in a place he never imagined he would be at that time: his home. He wasn't wrapped in the blanket Mikoto had given him, instead he had his usual bed sheets covering him, with the blanket folded and laying next a shelf near his bed, near his bed hat.

He whipped his head to the side to see that it was still night, and that the harsh rain and thunder had stopped, the outside world now starting to dry itself off as tiny drops of water still plunked here and there. Naruto let out a deep sigh as that entire instant had been a nightmare. Still, even as scary as the entire experience was, the Fourth Hokage's son did remember what little good came out it.

Above Naruto's bed was a shelf where he kept a single picture. He got up on his knees and looked behind to see the picture of him, four years old, with Minato and Kushina. The smile he had on was the biggest he had ever smiled, as he wrapped in Kushina's arms while Minato wrapped his arm around her shoulders, both parents' cheek rubbed up with Naruto's as he floated in their grasp in the middle.

Naruto lightly felt the images of both Minato and Kushina with his fingers as Minato's, and before, Kakashi's words, flooded into his mind once more: _Keep moving forward._

"Keep moving forward," Naruto repeated to himself. He smiled and lay his head back on his pillow, now enjoying the sleep of a well nestled boy in his home. As it should be.

From his window, a figure could be seen, sitting on the roof and looking in on his peaceful form; he was the same figure who had found Naruto in the alley and brought him back to his apartment. Smiling a little from behind the mask on his face, his visible eye softening in admiration, Kakashi Hatake said to himself, before disappearing in a swirl of leaves to report Naruto's well being to the Third Hokage:

"Looks like you finally got the message. I'm proud of you. Sleep well, little guy."

* * *

As night rolled into morning, the Hidden Leaf Village was once again dry as the desert in the Village Hidden In The Sand. The citizens and ninja were in their usual places, as one little boy was not. That being, Sasuke Uchiha.

Sasuke had skipped breakfast that morning to go see Naruto, who he had great worry for, considering his trip through the rain. Making his way past the villages, Sasuke ran his tiny legs as fast as they could until he reached Naruto's apartment. Knocking on the door with a passion.

"Naruto? Naruto, are ya home?"

No answer. Sasuke frowned, thinking Naruto was either heavy into his sleeping, or depressed over some kind of incident in the village. The latter was more likely to Sasuke, as that was the only time he would see his best friend upset over something.

"I guess he's not home..." mumbled Sasuke, leaving Naruto's place and making his way back home, thinking he would have to spend another day without his best pal.

However, Sasuke's assumptions were corrected after he strolled through the village and came to the shop where the goggles that Naruto wanted so badly remained purchased by no one.

There he saw the old shopkeeper yelling his lungs at Naruto, who seemed unfazed by his treatment this time around. Of course, several other villagers were standing around and watching the dispute like it was a circus act.

"I thought I told you to stay away from my property, you pest!"

"Aw, come on. I thought salesmen were supposed to welcome anybody willing to pay. Guess that means you suck as a salesmen," Naruto replied, sticking his tongue out to the old man, which made his temperature rise.

Sasuke was shocked; Naruto wasn't exactly a proper kid but he didn't openly mock people older than him that much, either. The only time he'd do that is with himself, actually, mostly when it involved a challenge.

"Grr, you're pushing my last nerve, boy. I ought to call a damn ninja to straighten your punk ass out!"

"You kiss your mother with that mouth, Old Man?" fired back Naruto.

"That's it!" The man stepped forward and swung at Naruto with his broom. The energetic blonde ducked down, but stayed down as his mouth folded into a grin.

"There's the cue!" Naruto announced.

"What cue?!"

The shop owner then felt something on his ankle as he looked down to see he had stepped on a trip wire that was hidden in the dirt below.

"What the-"

CREAK, SPLASH!

"AH!"

The trip wire released a board on the roof of the old man's shop, causing a plethora of colored water balloons drop on the man's head as he shouted out in confusion.

His entire body was soaked, and Naruto was enjoying every minute of it, falling on his back and laughing his little lungs out.

"Hahahahahaha! I got you so good! You didn't even see it coming! Hahahaha!" Naruto, for the first time, pointed a finger at someone he didn't like getting a much deserved taste of karma, instead of the other way around, with the values more appropriate as well.

"Grr, I'll kill you brat!" the old man boomed as he tried stepping forward again, only to slip and fall back on his spine. Naruto quickly rose up and ran away from the shop, still laughing his head off and leaving many of the onlooking villagers either surprised, still mad at him, or both. The shop owner sat up and started shouting more obscenities as well.

Naruto bolted off in the opposite direction of Sasuke, who stood just as surprised as the villagers. The raven-haired boy soon followed Naruto's path, stopping by the soaked shop owner on his way, still on the ground and seething mad.

He caught Sasuke's eyes as the boy stopped by him. "You see?! You see what that boy likes to do?! I told you he's a menace! A menace!"

Naruto stopped running to see Sasuke, his grin and laughs halted because of his presence. Sasuke looked back at Naruto with unsure eyes; he was unsure because of the character the shop owner and the villages looking at Naruto with spite were trying to force out of him.

"You need to stay away from that punk. I mean, look at this! Do you think this is funny? Do you think this is right?!" the soaked man yelled, catching Sasuke's attention again.

Sasuke quickly answered the man's gripes with an unorthodox reaction.

DONG!

"AH..."

Sasuke delivered a swift kick to the man's private parts, causing his eyes to bug out and him falling to the side, clutching his now sore parts.

"You deserved it, you big bully!" Sasuke shouted, quickly running back on the path that Naruto took, leaving the still onlooking villagers even more surprised. The Uchiha bred boy eventually caught up to Naruto, who bust out laughing at seeing the epic nut bust.

"S-Sasuke, that was, hahahahaha, that was genius!" Naruto stifled through his chuckles.

Sasuke smiled. "Well, you know, you didn't have to prank the old man so hard. What's with you, though? I never heard you speak to an adult like that before."

"Welp, Sasuke, you have now," said Naruto, standing up straight. "And anyone who messes with me is getting the same treatment. Believe it."

"Huh?" Sasuke was beyond confused at this point. "What's going on with you?"

Naruto's grin faded as he sighed and looked at the ground. He looked back up at Sasuke without a trace of cheer in his eyes. "Look, Sasuke, I'm not gonna these people push me around anymore. I don't care what they think of me, whether they yell at me or look at me funny... I'm done with it."

"Done with it?" Sasuke raised an eyebrow. "So, what, now you're gonna go around pranking everyone and making them mad?"

"Only if they deserve it. Like the old man, right?" Naruto said, forcing some chuckles out as the still wet and steamed shop owner. Sasuke wanted to object, but held back his argument, stifling a chuckle as well.

"Well... yeah..." Sasuke admitted.

"Besides, it's great practice for being a ninja, don't you think? With stealth and strategy and all that? We're gonna be in the Academy soon, and I can't wait until we start being ninja for real!"

Sasuke stifled an excited giggle. "Y-yeah, I guess. But..." Sasuke was still off on truly grasping Naruto's words, and the blond sensed it right away.

"Here's all you need to know, pal," Naruto said, now being a combination of happy yet serious. "I don't need to worry about the villagers anymore. I know that someday, I'll earn their respect, but to do that, I gotta work hard."

The Uchiha was feeling the gist of Naruto's new found confidence, but he still felt confused on something. "But why? I mean, what's the reason for this all of a sudden? You seemed really sad when they picked on you before, and now you don't care? Doesn't it still bother you?"

Naruto shook his head. "Nope. Not at all. But yeah, it _does _still bother me, but I'm not going to let it bother me so much that I give up on myself. Because I can't."

"You can't? Why?"

"Because of my dream, Sasuke."

Naruto stepped ahead of Sasuke leaving him behind himself as he walked closer to the still gathered group of civilians. They all cringed as he got closer, some turning away and others hiding their children behind them, some of them poking their heads out from behind. One of them was a boy with jet-black hair set in a ponytail, another had dull brown hair that stood up in two spikes, and another had spiky brown hair and red marks on his face.

"Listen up! I'm not the demon brat, monster, or any other name you people call me! I know exactly who I really am!"

Naruto jabbed a thumb to his chest. "My name is Naruto Uzumaki! I'm the son of the Fourth Hokage, and someday, I'll take his place and be the Hokage, too! I'll make every last one of ya respect me as a great ninja! Just wait and see!"

Mixed reactions laced the faces of to which the message was related to: the villagers looked either unaffected or increased in their spite; the shop owner was still mad; the boys hiding behind their parents looked a little shocked at the big voice Naruto was using; Naruto himself stood proud, beaming out his confidence in both his message and his statement.

And Sasuke: his lips formed a small smile at first, but then grew into a grin as he closed his eyes.

_I believe in you._

* * *

**AN: I had a lot of trouble getting this one together. I was kind of unsure how the events post-Nine Tails attack would play out. However, that is all taken care of now. :) Once again, I hope you are enjoying this story so far and remember, tell me your thoughts in a review, or PM me if you want to talk more in depth about the story.**

**Read And Review, Firaga96**


	5. Cancellation

My Apologies To My Dear Readers,

Naruto: Iron Bonds has been cancelled. I know that many of you readers of the story will be dissapointed by this news, but I simply cannot continue writing for the story. I realize that I have a certain distinct style when it comes to writing fanfiction about Naruto, and that I need to have a certain amount of inspiration to write a Naruto story. That inspiration was lost in IB. I haven't figured out how to write a good Naruto fanfiction yet, mostly to due my lack of knowledge of the series that hinders my writing as well as the fact that Naruto is a ongoing series that adds more concepts and plot points to the universe of Naruto with each new installment. I'm not comfortable with this, and so, I am discontinuing Iron Bonds. I still wish to write Naruto based stories, though most likely they will range from one shots to one shot collections to very short stories that last a few chapters at best. The concept behind Iron Bonds and its other versions (I've rebooted this story twice) I still wish to make a story out of: However, I still need to work on just what I want this story to be about. So until then, enjoy my other work. I hope that I may find the groundwork and inspiration to write Iron Bonds, or a story similar to Iron Bonds, once again. And just to make things easier, I'll leave the story up on my profile so that people can still read it. After all, I wouldn't want the effort I put into this story to go to waste.

- Read And Review, AJrax The Author


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